It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
by Storywriter55
Summary: Neal and Sara prepare for a quiet Christmas with their young family but fate intervenes when they're forced to face some of life's unexpected ups and downs. Warning: severe domestic fluff ahead. Part of the 'Milestones' series (5.9 years)
1. Chapter 1

**It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year**

 _Neal and Sara prepare for a quiet Christmas with their young family but fate intervenes when they're forced to face some of life's unexpected ups and downs. Warning: severe domestic fluff ahead. Part of the 'Milestones' series (5.9 years)_

5.9 years

 **Chapter 1**

'It's not fair!' Hope whined as she dragged her feet, head thrown back dramatically

'Hope, that's enough! I get it, believe me! Life isn't always fair' Neal barked back as he trudged along, pushing the grocery cart down the busy milk aisle

He was pissed off at himself for having offered to pick her up at school and make the pit stop instead of picking up the baby at the sitter's. Sara had definitely gotten the sweet end of _that_ deal...she was probably home already, sipping a glass of wine, waiting for them.

Hope had been complaining for the past fifteen minutes as her dad dragged her through the supermarket on a mission to pick up a few last minute items for dinner - something about Olivia going to Florida to visit her cousins for the holidays. It was sweltering hot in the store and Neal was sweating profusely under his warm winter coat. Hope was trying to keep pace with him, whiny and impatient as she lugged her hat and scarf behind her on the dirty floor.

'Hope, please stop dragging your hat and scarf on the floor and put them in the basket' Neal said curtly as he reached for a loaf of bread

'But I'm hoooot' she moaned more like a disgruntled toddler than the mature five year old she claimed to be

'HOPE!' Neal shouted, louder than he'd intended

He smiled apologetically as a nearby woman gave him the evil eye – obviously, _she_ had never had to contend with a tired and hungry five year old in a busy grocery store at dinner time. He took a deep breath in order to regain his composure, finally turning to face his daughter. Despite the fact that he couldn't wait to get the hell out of the store, he crouched down to Hope's eye level and gently grabbed her by the coat lapel.

'I'm sorry sweet pea. I didn't mean to raise my voice' he said as he removed her coat and tucked her mitts, hat and scarf into her coat sleeve

'Better?' he asked as he looked into her tired eyes

She nodded and he grabbed for a tissue from his coat pocket and wiped her runny nose as she continued to stare blankly at him with a look of total misery.

'Look, I know you're hungry and you're tired and you can't wait to get home but it'll just be a few more minutes, okay?' he said, running his hand through her hair to tame the static electricity left behind by her woolen hat

'Do you want to sit in the cart?' he asked with a smile

'Daddy, I'm five years old' she responded in an 'are you kidding?' tone of voice

Neal sighed. 'Well, do you want to hold on to the front of the cart and I'll push you?'

That sounded more like a five-year old thing to do and Hope nodded, her eyes watery.

'Alright' Neal said as he threw her coat into the grocery cart

He reached out to give her a quick hug and Hope threw her arms around her dad's neck, latching on to him and tucking her head between his neck and shoulder as Neal rolled his eyes; so much for being too old to sit in the grocery cart.

There was nothing worse than hitting the grocery store after work with a cranky five year old in tow; he silently cursed his wife who had somehow gotten out of the odious task. He stood with Hope in his arms, grabbed the cart with his other hand and headed for the fruit aisle as his daughter remained curled up against him. He was sweating bullets, exhausted from his week at work and now he had to navigate a heavy cart through a busy grocery store with one hand and forty seven pounds of dead weight hanging from his neck.

He accelerated the pace and made quick work of grabbing the fruits and vegetables they would need to tide them over for the next couple of days and he finally made it to the cash register just as he heard his phone ringing in his coat pocket.

'Damn it' he mumbled, under his breath, immediately followed by an apologetic '...sorry honey' to his daughter - who remained quiet, curled up against his chest.

Considering the fact that he couldn't grow a third arm in the next five seconds, he chose to ignore the call and just carry on and finish the loathsome task and get the hell out of there before he actually melted into a puddle on the floor, Frosty-style.

WCWCWC

Sara Ellis sat behind the wheel, trying to block out the constant wailing coming from the back seat of the car. The child minder had looked like she was at the end of her tether when she'd placed Liam in his mom's arms, telling her that he'd been crying practically non-stop all day. Sara had wished the babysitter a good evening and had strapped her crying son into his car seat before heading home to wait for Neal and Hope.

Liam Theodore Caffrey was a calm baby, generally speaking; at six months of age, he had a sweet disposition and he was easily distracted by either one of his parents (or his big sister, for that matter) whenever he got a little cranky. He'd been sleeping through the night for the past six weeks now; a welcome relief for the young parents. Sara had only been back to work at Sterling Bosch for a couple of weeks and the Caffreys were still learning how to juggle two full time careers and the needs of two busy young children. Luckily, Hope was in school all day and they had a fantastic caregiver for Liam but the days were busy and the evenings short and by the time the young parents got around to feeding their brood, giving them their baths and settling them down for the night, they were pretty well done-in and ready to hit the sack themselves.

Liam continued to howl in the back seat as Sara fiddled with the CD player, looking for that song that always seemed to soothe him whenever he got restless in the car – something about a bouncy little green frog. She kept her eye on the road which was slippery and wet thanks to the flurries that had been coming down pretty steadily all day.

Shutting out the persistent sobs, she thought ahead to the upcoming holidays; one more day, and they could all relax for a couple of weeks and enjoy some family time. It was the first year since she and Neal had been together that they wouldn't be sharing the holidays with the Burkes. Peter and Elizabeth were visiting Peter's parents upstate and were scheduled to leave on Saturday and June had left the previous week to spend the holidays with her daughter out in California. Even Mozzie was leaving town to spend time in Detroit with his old mentor, Mr. Jeffries – if he hadn't already left, that is.

Truth be told, she and Neal were looking forward to a nice quiet Christmas at home with the kids. It was Liam's first and Hope was really into the whole Christmas and Santa thing. They'd been planning to go to the Santa Claus parade on Sunday and cocoon for a few days of quiet relaxation while the kids played with their new toys and she and her husband finally reconnected after a busy few weeks. But _before_ they could relax, she still had a few errands to run including picking up the perfect gift for her perfect husband – and then there was all that gift wrapping to do and ToysRUs had called to say that sing along microphone she'd ordered for Hope had finally come in...

Suddenly a car horn was heard, letting her know the light had turned green and Sara yelled back over Liam's cries 'Whatever, buddy!' as she refrained from giving the guy behind her the finger – too many crazies in New York these days.

Some guy kept singing about a frog and Liam kept wailing; she knew she should have offered to pick up Hope and do the grocery run.

WCWCWC

Hope still hadn't stirred by the time Neal finished paying for the groceries and he looked down at his daughter, surprised to find that she had somehow managed to fall asleep despite the chaos and noise of the busy store. Not having the heart to wake her, he threw her warm coat over her overheated body, tucked her hands inside his warm coat and hurried out to the car, pushing the cart along with one hand. The cold air hit his face as he stepped out, the snow pinching his cheeks - a temporary reprieve from the extreme heat inside the store and he pushed the cart all the way to the end of the parking lot where the family car awaited.

'Hope?' he said softly as he placed her in the back seat of the car

She looked up bleary-eyed, her face red. 'Daddy, I don't feel good' she said as Neal touched her forehead, noticing it was still hot despite the elements

'Okay, baby' he said as he strapped her in and kissed her forehead 'We'll be home in ten minutes'

It was just a few days until Christmas and there was still so much to do. Peter and El wanted to drop off the kids' gifts and were coming over for brunch on Saturday before leaving town and he still hadn't found the perfect gift for Sara – to say nothing of the last minute food preparation which was always his responsibility.

'How are you doing back there?' Neal asked as he turned onto their street

'I think I'm going to throw up' Hope said, meekly

'Hold on honey, we're almost there' Neal said as he accelerated, hoping to avoid a mess

He came up their street and immediately noticed that a whole string of the carefully arranged Christmas lights on the front of their house were burnt out. Great! The street's best decorated house contest, which he enthusiastically participated in every year, was two days away and he was really hoping that this was 'his' year; just add _that_ to his to-do list.

Adding insult to injury, the snow plow had just paid a visit to Meadowbrook Street and there was a lovely snow bank about a foot high blocking the driveway leading to their house. It must have just happened because Neal could see that Sara had managed to park their SUV in the driveway before the snow plow had come by. Neal parked hurriedly in front of the house and threw the car door open hoping that they would make it inside in time; he really didn't want to add 'having the car detailed' to the ever growing list of chores that needed doing before the big day.

Neal jumped out of the car, swung open the back door and was just reaching in to grab Hope when he heard the inevitable sound of retching coming from the back seat. Although she managed to avoid most of the inside of the car, Hope was right on target as far as the front of her clothes and as a bonus, she managed to take out her dad's shoes as she emptied her stomach with a loud groan followed by the inevitable sobbing. Despite the mess, Neal moved in quickly to pick her up in his arms and cradle her against him; throwing up was never a personal choice on _anyone's_ part.

'Oh, honey, come on, let's get you in the house' he said as he awkwardly stepped over the snow bank and made his way up the driveway with Hope in his arms

Even before he opened the door, he could hear his son wailing in the distance and as he stepped into the warm, welcoming house, he heard Sara's voice coming from the kitchen.

'Neal, did you get my text? Did you pick up orange juice?' she called out as she appeared from the back of the house, holding the crying baby. She immediately noticed her husband covered in vomit with their daughter moaning in his arms.

'Oh, no! What happened?' she asked unnecessarily as Neal looked at her with an exasperated look

'Three guesses, Sherlock' he said rather mordantly as she came to their rescue

Sara glared at him for his less than helpful remark and she proceeded to put Liam down on the nearby couch for a moment while she prepared to take their daughter's listless body from Neal's arms. Liam's wails intensified at being left on his own momentarily and Neal proceeded to take off his coat and survey the damage to his beloved Rockports which had been partially sheltered by his overshoes – maybe they wouldn't be a total write-off.

'Sorry' he said sheepishly 'it's been a rough couple of hours'

'Tell me about it' she replied as she glanced over at Liam who was now sobbing uncontrollably

Sara stood there trying to comfort their daughter who continued to moan in her arms, hoping her new silk blouse would survive the unexpected assault.

'What's going on with Liam?' Neal asked as he shrugged out of his coat and gingerly let it drop on the front door mat – it was probably not salvageable

He made his way over to the baby and picked him up, holding him tight against his chest as he stroked his back - usually a winning move where his son was concerned but alas, not in this case. He cradled him in his arms and he began to bounce up and down – another usually good tactic – as the infant continued to cry.

'I don't know' Sara said, concern obvious in her voice 'he's been crying like that since I picked him up at Fran's. She says she thinks he's teething'

The couple exchanged a look of desperation as they stood there with their miserable offspring in their arms.

Neal managed to paste a smile on his face and he leaned in to kiss his wife hello.

'Hi' he said softly although his voice couldn't be heard above the noise in the room.

It was definitely an auspicious beginning to the Christmas season.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sara stood by the front door and watched as Neal finished shoveling the driveway. He'd be cold when he came in and she wandered back to the kitchen, still cradling Liam in her arms, to put the kettle on for hot cocoa. Neal had been out there close to an hour, with the cold wind whipping around and the blowing snow; she knew he'd need a warm drink to take the edge off – after all, it was the least she could do for him after he'd so valiantly braved the inclement weather.

Hope had finally fallen asleep on the nearby couch in the family room, having totally crashed after dinner – which had consisted of a beaten egg in a glass of milk with a touch of vanilla and sugar, something Sara remembered as a cure-all for an upset stomach when she was a little girl.

Liam was finally quiet but he remained restless and presently it was a choice between carrying him around in her arms and enjoying the blessed silence or putting him down and having him start to cry again. At the moment, the quiet was well worth it and Sara continued rocking him as she heard the front door open. She walked a few feet so that she could be in her husband's sight line and brought her finger to her lips, urging him to be quiet while Neal began to remove his outer clothing, rubbing his hands together to try to warm up.

He followed her into the kitchen, spying the cup of cocoa on the counter and giving Sara a small smile in appreciation.

'So, she finally fell asleep' he whispered as he looked over towards Hope, curled up under a warm blanket

'I think she's running a fever. I'll check before we put her to bed' Sara whispered back

'You okay?' Neal asked as he brought his hand up to gently rub Sara's back

She shrugged in response.

'What are we going to do about tomorrow?' she murmured as they stood in their quiet kitchen, enjoying the silence after several hours of chaos

'I've got a meeting with Peter to close out the Donaldson case at 10:00 but I don't need to go the office' he responded quietly, referring to his regular job as art authenticator with Finch and Johns

He'd been helping Peter out on a case over the past month, an increasingly unusual occurrence over the past five years but every now and then, Peter Burke still needed his ex-CI's expertise on a given case and Neal had given his best friend a hand in solving a particularly troublesome case that had been haunting the White Collar Unit for the past six months.

'Well, Hope can't go to school like that' Sara said, her voice quiet

It was the last day of school before the Christmas break and Hope had been looking forward to the holiday concert they'd be having in the afternoon. Neal and Sara had both taken the afternoon off to attend since Hope would be singing with the rest of the kindergarten class; she'd been driving them crazy for the past two weeks with her off-key rendition of 'Away in a Manger'

Neal gave her a shoulder shrug. 'What about Liam? Should we keep him home too?' he asked, his voice low

'Oh, I forgot' Sara said 'More bad news... Fran just called and said she can't take him tomorrow. Her mom's sick and she has to go to Boston'

'Great!' Neal said sarcastically, under his breath

'What about you?' he asked

'I've got a staff meeting in the morning but it'll only last for an hour or so' she answered softly, rubbing Liam's back as he slept fitfully

This two career thing while juggling two kids was still new for the young couple and their usual safety net – which consisted mostly of Mozzie and June – were both out of town

'What about El?' Neal asked

'Already tried that. But she has an event at lunch and she's booked for most of the day' whispered Sara

'Oh, I know, I could call Donna' Sara said brightly as she reached for the phone

Donna and Jeff Mason were neighbors and friends and parents to Hope's _best_ friend, Olivia; the couples often helped each other out in a pinch.

'No' Neal whispered, putting out his hand to stop her 'They left yesterday for Florida to visit Jeff's sister, remember?'

Sara let out a discouraged sigh.

'I suppose I could take one of them with me when I meet Peter. He won't mind' Neal suggested, his voice a quiet whisper

'Well, I can't see trying to run a staff meeting with a crying baby in my arms. I think it might be easier if I take Hope with me – if she's functional, that is. She can sit and color while I have my meeting' Sara said

'Yeah, I think Peter would be more amenable to Liam crying than your staff' Neal agreed

He looked at Sara's worried face and he put his arms out to take Liam from her.

'Here, I'll take him' he whispered as the baby stirred in her arms

Sara had been lugging him around for over an hour and he could tell she was getting tired. Liam let out a couple of short, half-hearted cries during the transition but Neal immediately began the bobbing up and down motion that usually calmed his son and the baby relaxed in his arms as Neal placed a gentle, reassuring kiss on his fair hair.

'It's going to be fine' Neal whispered as he put his other arm around Sara, pulling her close 'After tomorrow, it's all smooth sailing'

Sara nodded in response.

'Mooom!' they heard from the family room 'I'm gonna throw up again'

WCWCWC

'It's _your_ turn' Sara moaned as she turned in bed and elbowed Neal

'Mmmph' he muttered in response, thoroughly unimpressed

They had finally gotten the kids to sleep at around eleven o'clock after Hope had been sick another couple of times. Her temperature was hovering at around 101, she had a runny nose, her eyes were glassy and she'd looked up feverishly at her mom and dad when they'd tucked her in. The dose of Children's Tylenol they'd given her before finally carrying her up to bed seemed to have done the trick though because they hadn't heard a peep from that direction in a couple of hours.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Liam. He was also running a low grade fever, his cheeks red and hot, and he'd settled down on a couple of occasions only to wake up wailing again a little while later.

Neal and Sara had been taking turns getting up – he at 12:47 and she at 2:16. Neal looked over groggily at the bedside clock, noticing it was 3:04 – this time, he hadn't even lasted an hour.

Neal kicked off the blankets and stood barefoot on the cool bedroom floor; he made his way to Hope's room to check on her. Her cheeks seemed cooler and she let out a small sigh as Neal brought his lips to her forehead before closing the door to her room so she wouldn't be awakened by her brother's insistent wails – one sick kid at a time was definitely enough.

He stepped into the baby's room; Liam was sobbing uncontrollably once again, his cheeks red hot and he looked up bleary-eyed as his dad entered the room, putting his arms out to be comforted.

'Awww, baby' Neal said as he picked him up and held him tight against him 'What's the matter, huh? Don't you know it's the middle of the night. You should be sleeping'

Neal carried him over to the change table, his cries finally receding at the sound of his dad's reassuring words and his comforting touch but when Neal momentarily put him down to check his diaper, Liam started up again, louder than before.

'It's okay, it's okay. Let Daddy check your diaper' Neal whispered as he held up one of Liam's favorite stuffed toys in an effort to distract him

'Look, it's Tender Heart, look, look!' he said as he waved the stuffed toy in front of the baby's eyes, unsuccessful in his quest to get him to stop crying

He rushed through the motions, changing his wet diaper in record time and picking up his sobbing son in his arms, he headed over to the nearby rocking chair – again, a definite go-to move in Neal's experience. In this case, however, Liam didn't want to cuddle and go back to sleep and he pushed back with his little arms when Neal tried to pull him closer to comfort him. Neal got up and started walking around the room again, bouncing the baby up and down as the cries began to recede once again.

'Alright, alright' he said, soothingly 'Let's go downstairs and let Mommy and Hope sleep'

He made it down to the kitchen, stopping to turn the thermostat up a little, and peeked outside the front door, noticing that more snow had accumulated over the past few hours. He might need to shovel again before they could get the cars out in the morning he thought as he turned on the soft light over the kitchen stove and continued bouncing Liam up and down. He grabbed for a bottle of breast milk from the fridge and prepared to heat it up – maybe that would help Liam get back to sleep – and he made his way to the laptop which lay on the kitchen table to do some quick research on teething.

He didn't remember it being much of an issue with Hope when she was that age; it seemed that her teeth had just appeared out of the blue. He remembered playing with her one day when he'd suddenly noticed the arrival of sharp incisors as she bit down on his unsuspecting finger. He typed in the word 'teething' as Liam began to fuss at the loss of movement and he stood again to get his bottle, resettling him in his arms, placing Liam so he was facing out and could see the computer screen. Neal placed the bottle in his son's mouth and with one hand continued to scroll down, looking for useful information.

Several dozen websites came up on his search and Neal began reading the various symptoms associated with the ritual – symptoms which varied greatly from one baby to another, it seemed. He turned Liam towards him to check his mouth, removing the nipple from the bottle that the baby seemed to be biting insistently. He fussed when Neal opened his mouth, seeing the tell-tale swollen gums and Neal ran his finger gently over the redness as Liam settled and bit down hard.

'Does that feel good?' Neal asked as the baby continued to suck and bite hard on Neal's finger

He continued to read, feeling the unfamiliar suction on his finger: the red cheeks were another typical symptom - although with the way his big sister was feeling, Neal wanted to make sure Liam wasn't coming down with the flu as well. He looked down at his son, who was now smirking at him, happy to have his dad's undivided attention.

'Ah, so now that you've got me up in the middle of the night, you're happy, is that it?' Neal said with a smile as Liam grinned back, gurgling and playfully grabbing Neal's nose

'Let's see if we can get you back to sleep?' Neal continued, rising to walk over to the couch in the nearby family room

If the last two attempts at putting him down were any indication, he figured he had a better chance of getting him to fall asleep if he held him against him for a while and so Neal dragged himself to the couch, putting his head down on a cushion, lying on his back and cradling Liam on his chest as they both lay there, content.

Neal began to sing softly as Liam put his head down, feeling Neal's cool chest against his hot face. Neal grabbed for the nearby blanket and covered them both up, fully intending to get him to sleep and return to his own warm bed. The baby pulled at Neal's finger, having found relief there, and proceeded to bite down furiously once again as Neal chuckled softly at the strange sensation.

The next sound Neal heard was Sara's stiletto heels coming down the stairs.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Whoever had coined the phrase 'travelling light' certainly didn't have kids.

The one thing Neal Caffrey and Sara Ellis had learned since the arrival of their children was that there was quite a difference between getting ready to go out on your own and getting ready to leave the house with your kids in tow. There was all the inevitable 'kid gear' to pack – forget that special lipstick or those designer sunglasses – and in their limited experience, Neal and Sara had discovered that the smaller the kid, the more baggage there was.

And two things were guaranteed to happen: you always forgot _something_ and you would inevitably be running late.

By the time Neal was awakened from a dead sleep by his wife and daughter, it was already 8:00 on Friday morning and Sir Liam had decided that this was the perfect time to catch up on his beauty sleep. He lay, deep in slumber, against his daddy's chest, dead to the world.

Neal forced an eye open and watched Sara come into view, impeccably dressed as always; she walked over to where he lay and leaned over him, smiling.

'Baby, wake up, it's time to get going' she said as she kissed his grateful lips 'Sorry you never made it back to bed' she added with a pout

'Mmm' Neal grumbled 'Believe me, I tried'

Sara placed a soft kiss on Liam's head and moved on to the kitchen where she began the frantic search for things to put into Hope's backpack - and her briefcase. Peter's words from all those years ago resonated in Neal's ears: she really _did_ look like a tornado in heels when she moved around like that!

Hope appeared seconds later, looking quite a bit more chipper than the last time he'd laid eyes on her. Sara had dressed her in a cute little dress covered in tiny ladybugs, matching red tights and her usual Mary Janes. The red color seemed to compliment Hope's complexion, making her look a little less sallow than she'd looked when they'd put her to bed the night before and Neal wondered momentarily if he was looking at the same kid.

He forced himself to sit up, trying to stretch while he held on to the dead weight curled up against his chest and he carefully peeled Liam off, placing him gently next to him on the couch as he continued to sleep soundly. They were both covered in sweat from the warm wool blanket and the inevitable body heat created by having another human being plastered to your body for the better part of four hours.

'Hi Daddy' Hope said as she came over and offered her arms up for a hug - although it was unclear at this point who needed it more

'Good morning, sweet pea! How are you feeling this morning?' he asked, holding her tight

She shrugged. Her eyes were droopy and although her color was good, there was something off about her – mainly the fact that she was standing there without moving, an unusual occurrence for the busy five-year-old.

'Sara, are you sure she's well enough to go out in this weather?' Neal asked, bleary-eyed

'I pumped her full of meds, she'll be fine' said Sara, deadpan

Neal gave her a look of disapproval as he stood and taking Hope's hand in his, he walked over towards her.

Seeing his face, Sara gave him an eye roll.

'Relax, I'm joking. I just gave her some Gravol and some more Tylenol so she could make it through the next few hours' Sara said

'You _do_ know that'll only _mask_ the symptoms, right?' Neal said as he made his way to the kitchen table where Sara was madly buttering some toast for herself and Hope

'Well, it'll have to be good _enough_ until we can get her back here to bed where she belongs' she said in her usual no-nonsense way

Neal sighed; he had a nagging feeling this wasn't a good idea. Hope belonged under the blankets, curled up against him and watching stuff she wasn't normally allowed to watch on television.

He sat at the table and lifted his daughter onto his lap, running his hand over her beautiful dark curls and looking into those baby blues that were a reflection of his own.

'Do you _want_ to go to Mommy's office?' he asked

She nodded enthusiastically. 'Mommy said she'd buy me a Hello Kitty pencil case if I was a good girl'

Neal gave his wife a dirty look as she smiled coyly. Besides the obvious bribery involved, Neal knew all too well that the pencil case was already under their bed upstairs, carefully hidden away – one of Hope's many Christmas gifts. Sara was double dipping!

'Alright, then' Neal said giving in and kissing the top of her head

He turned to Sara 'Can you keep an eye on Liam, I'm going to go out and shovel so you guys can get out of the driveway. Oh, and there's only one bottle of breast milk left' he added as he handed his wife the breast pump that always lay nearby.

Although Liam had recently graduated to eating small quantities of cereal, Sara still breast-fed him a couple of times a day and the couple preferred it to formula whenever possible.

'Got it' she said as she hovered over Hope, coaxing her to have a few bites of breakfast – a move she would later live to regret.

Neal stood to leave and took a last lingering look at his wife, realizing that he couldn't even remember the last time they'd been intimate. He pulled her in for a kiss and in the sweetest tone imaginable, he whispered into her ear.

'Honey' he murmured 'I know these are the seven most dreaded words in the English language but – you've got a run in your stockings'

'Ugh!' she replied

WCWCWC

Neal didn't usually take the car into Manhattan. It was a major pain in the ass - what with the traffic and the parking once you finally got there. Ever since they'd moved to White Plains, they had gotten into the habit of driving to the 'park and ride' every morning and leaving the car there for the day, preferring to jump on the commuter train into Manhattan. Of course, that was all fine and dandy when you weren't dragging a miserable six-month old baby along for the ride and on this day, Neal realized he wouldn't have the choice _but_ to drive downtown.

He packed up all the necessary gear into Liam's diaper bag and checked his appearance in the mirror one last time before tackling the job of getting his son ready. Neal looked like his usual, impeccable self despite the fact that he'd gotten very little sleep and he smiled back at his reflection – 'Looking good, Caffrey' he whispered vainly to himself.

So far, so good as far as Liam was concerned; he was still snoozing in his crib and Neal hoped that he would sleep all morning so he could get this meeting over with in a timely fashion, without undue complications.

But wishes were just that, as he was about to find out.

Neal glanced down at Liam snoozing in his crib, reluctant to move him, lest he disturb his sleep but he couldn't carry him into the car like this. He had to change his diaper and put something other than a sleeper on him – after all, Neal was going to be showing off his son to his colleagues from the office, an uncommon occurrence. Although Peter, Diana and even Jones had seen Liam on numerous occasions, most of the secretaries and the support staff hadn't had the pleasure and Neal looked forward to everyone fawning over his gorgeous son – an extension of himself.

As babies went, Liam Caffrey _was_ gorgeous and according to his parents, he was in a class by himself: he had Sara's fair coloring although not much in the way of hair, unlike his sister who'd always had a thick, curly head of hair. His green eyes were identical in color to Sara's own and he got those great Caffrey dimples whenever he smiled which was pretty well every time someone smiled at him; luckily, he hadn't yet hit that awkward age where he would inevitably make strange with people he didn't know.

Neal gazed in wonder at his sleeping son, his little mouth puckered up in that oh so cute way Neal loved. He smiled and reached in to pick him up, hoping not to disturb his slumber.

'Hey buddy' he whispered 'We've got to change your diaper and get you dressed'

Liam lay limp and relaxed in Neal's arms as his daddy carried him over to the change table where he'd laid everything out for the diaper change as well as a cute little outfit he'd picked out for him to wear: a pair of OshKosh overalls in a gorgeous shade of gray and the cutest stripped shirt and matching socks. Neal had always been a clothes whore and he intended to pass that very special skill onto _both_ his kids.

The second Neal lay Liam down on the change table, the baby's eyes opened and Neal gave him a glorious smile as he began to undo the snaps of his little sleeper.

'Good morning sunshine!' he said as he gazed at his son and gave him a little tickle 'You and I are going for a drive today'

Liam stared back, a small smile forming on his face as he recognized his wonderful daddy but the smile quickly evaporated and almost immediately dissolved into a frown as he began to whimper.

'Hey, hey, what's going on?' Neal asked as he carried on with the diaper change

Liam was usually quite content to lay there when he had his diaper changed, cooing and gurgling while Neal sang to him or handed him a nearby toy to play with. It had become a ritual, a privileged time for father and son to bond and Neal looked forward to those moments; he loved cooing, talking and singing to his son - even though Sara made fun of him. 'Caffrey' she'd say 'you're worse than he is'

But on this day, Liam seemed to remember that he was feeling crappy and he was _supposed_ to be miserable and his cries escalated as Neal finally got him undressed, noticing he'd left a little something extra in his diaper for his dad.

Now, Neal was an expert diaper changer – or so he liked to think – he didn't shy away from anything and as a matter of fact, changing a poopy diaper was much more his domain than his wife's. Seeing the soft mess he was dealing with, Neal took a step back and with one hand holding Liam safely in place, he began to unbutton his shirt sleeves; this might get messy and he didn't want to get his shirt dirty. He soldiered on, lifting Liam's little bum up in the air to examine the extent of the damage and although he was normally skilled at sheltering himself from Liam's 'fountain', he was distracted this time and before he knew it, a fine spray of pee was sprouting from his son, aimed directly at his Alexander McQueen micro-dot necktie – the one Sara had given him for his last birthday.

'Awww!' he moaned, sounding more like a spoiled kid

He quickly covered up the baby's bum, alas too late to limit the damages to his shirt and tie, and finished the job as quickly as possible while Liam's cries graduated to breathless sobs. With difficulty, he managed to wash his son, change his diaper and get him dressed while he valiantly sung Liam's favorite song – the one about the bouncy little green frog.

By the time he finished, Liam looked great but Neal was a mess and he reluctantly had to put him back in his crib while he washed up and changed his shirt and tie all the while being serenaded by Liam's insistent wails.

It took awhile but they finally made it to the car, Liam somewhat calmer and Neal slightly flustered. He'd taken the time to hold the baby, checking out his mouth and giving him a hard plastic toy to chew on, something that seemed to calm Liam, at least temporarily.

It was already past nine and Neal knew the traffic would be hellish; it was the last weekend before Christmas and shoppers would be out in droves. After much fanfare, Neal managed to get them both out to the car which was buried in the freshly fallen snow which had accumulated overnight. He put his briefcase down by the front of the car and proceeded to clear it off as he did a mental check of everything he needed: diapers, change of clothes, wetnaps, bottle of breast milk, toys, facecloth... check, check, check and he finally got behind the wheel, the loud crying still persistent in the back seat.

He took a deep breath, pleased with himself for not having forgotten anything and he slowly backed up the car, the briefcase containing his report to Peter still sitting in his freshly shoveled driveway.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hope Ellis-Caffrey was a big hit at Sterling Bosch. She sat in on her mom's staff meeting, a perfect little angel as everyone came over to say hi and tell her what a cutie she was. Sara beamed nearby; she was proud of her kids and the way they behaved. It took a lot of work but she and Neal took pride in their daughter being polite and well-mannered; after all, it sometimes went against nature considering how outspoken she was, a trait she'd most certainly inherited from her mom.

'Now that everyone's here, I think we'll get started' Sara said as everyone took a seat

Hope sat to her mom's right with her backpack on the conference room table and she reached in to grab for a pencil and her sketching pad. She was a budding artist; she spent hours in the studio at home with her dad as he nurtured her talent, watching her continually improve. She had the same fire in her belly he'd always had but, unlike him, she had the advantage of having someone watching over her and guiding her as time went on.

She looked around the room at the many faces and she got busy sketching some of the people around her, to everyone's delight as Sara struggled with keeping everyone's attention on the topic at hand. The offices would be running on a skeleton staff for the coming week and the newly appointed team leader wanted to make sure there were no loose ends before most of her team took a well-deserved break for the holidays. Sara walked them through the main points and was just about to wrap up when there was a decisive knock at the conference room door.

Everyone turned to see the head honcho walk in, carrying a bunch of envelopes in his hand.

'Mr. Bosch' Sara said, not so surprised to see him 'What a nice surprise'

Hope looked up at the man and felt her stomach lurch; that toast she ate for breakfast had been churning around in her belly since they'd left White Plains. Sara stood to welcome the newcomer and gave up her chair at the head of the table, moving over to where her daughter sat, urging her to get up and share her seat. Hope settled on her mom's lap as the boss man sat briefly, placing the stack of envelopes on the table in front of him.

'Good morning, everyone' he said 'Sorry to interrupt your meeting. I see we have a new investigator on the team' he added as he looked over at Hope

Sara had run her daughter's visit by his office that morning just out of courtesy and the man seemed to know who the child was as he awkwardly smiled at her, obviously not used to dealing with children.

Hope was getting dizzy, her head spinning and her stomach gurgling as she watched the proceedings.

'I just wanted to come by and wish you all Happy Holidays' he continued as he addressed the group '... and of course, Santa was by this morning and left a little something for each of you' he added as everyone chuckled politely at his gauche attempt at humor

He pointed to the envelopes on the table and Sara could see her name on the top one; the yearly Christmas bonus would be most welcome especially with all those extra expenses around this time of year. Sara felt Hope wilting in her arms and she held on to her daughter a little tighter as Winston Bosch rose to leave.

Suddenly, Hope made a most unexpected sound and Sara watched in horror as her daughter began to heave, once, twice... and before she could do anything, Hope was emptying the contents of her stomach onto the conference room table or more precisely directly on the stack of envelopes Sara's boss had just placed there.

Mr. Bosch watched in horror and everyone in the room gasped, some of the staff actually covering their mouths as they suffered through their own gag reflexes.

Hope looked up at her mom, tears running down her face.

'I don't feel well, Mommy' she managed to say

WCWCWC

'So, you're telling me you came all the way down here to hand in a report that you forgot at home?' Peter asked as Neal walked - or rather bounced - around the conference room of the White Collar Unit with a crying Liam curled up against his chest in a snuggly

'Peter, I can give you the highlights' Neal said apologetically 'I'll just e-mail you the report later'

Peter's eyes moved from Neal's distressed face to his screaming nephew and he got up to stand in front of his ex CI.

'Here, why don't we get him out of that thing' he said as he struggled to figure out how the damn contraption was attached to Neal's body

Neal looked down at his son, whispering sweet nothings as he pulled him out of the snuggly, placing him so he could look at his beloved uncle. Liam relaxed a little and the screaming subsided and morphed into a few breathless sobs as Peter put out his arms to take him from his dad. Truth be told, Neal was looking pretty ragged and the least Peter could do was give him a bit of a break, after all, Neal has been bouncing around with a crying infant in his arms for the past half hour.

'Look, why don't you go down and have a cup of coffee with Jones and Diana. I'll take him off your hands for a few minutes. You look like you could use a break' Peter said sympathetically

Neal must have looked really relieved because Peter suddenly noticed a smile appear on Neal's face where a frown had been just a moment ago.

'Are you sure? He's teething and he's feeling pretty miserable' Neal said as he reluctantly handed his son over to Peter

'We'll be fine' Peter said in a baby voice as Liam began to calm down in response to the attention he was getting 'Won't we, Liam?'

'I'll only be a few minutes. I'm sure he'll be okay but, just in case, you've got everything you need in that diaper bag over there' Neal said as he pointed and glanced nervously at Peter

'Stop worrying, Neal. I catch criminals for a living; I'm sure I can handle a baby for a few minutes' he said, dismissing Neal's apparent hesitation

Peter was an amazing uncle and godfather to Hope. He doted on her constantly, spoiling her rotten, taking her out places, having her over to their place in Brooklyn almost every weekend and the two of them were firmly joined at the hip - had been since she was a baby. Although Peter could certainly not be described as a 'kid person', the bond between him and Hope was undeniable and there was nothing she could possibly do that he couldn't or wouldn't forgive – including that time she accidentally shattered his cherished baseball trophy by kicking a soccer ball through the air in the Burke living room.

But Hope was almost six years old and dealing with a child that age was quite different from a whiny baby and Neal gave Peter one last hesitant glance before turning to leave.

'Get out of here, Caffrey. That's an order!' Peter said as he returned his gaze to the baby who was momentarily calm in his arms

Neal stepped out and saw Jones and Diana lurking nearby.

'Wow, wish I had a camera handy' Diana said as Jones pulled out his phone and aimed it up towards Peter's office

'Always be ready' he said, under his breath as he checked out the photograph he'd just taken and showed it to Neal

'That's one for the books, for sure' Neal agreed

'Hey, Caffrey, they've opened a fancy coffee shop on the 12th floor. Come on, I'll buy you a latte' Diana said as she took his arm and pulled him away from where he stood, eyes glued towards Peter's office

'Come on' she coaxed 'He'll be fine. What's the worst that can happen?'

Neal glanced back one last time at his son who seemed to be smiling at his uncle Peter and he turned away, tempted by the allure of a great cup of coffee.

WCWCWC

'I'm sorry Mommy' Hope cried as Sara placed her in the back seat of the car

The mess in the conference room had been cleaned up and luckily, the only envelope that had suffered any damage was the one addressed to Sara Ellis.

'It's okay, honey. Stop saying that. I _know_ you didn't do it on purpose' Sara said, her voice calm

Immediately following the incident, her reaction had been less than understanding and her usual acerbic comments had slipped from her lips before she could censor herself, something she was bitterly regretting now that she saw the state of her beloved daughter.

'But that man looked mad' Hope whined

'You let me worry about that man, sweetie' Sara said as she kissed her forehead and finally took her place behind the wheel

'Now, let's get home, okay? And if you want, you can lie down in our bed or you can watch television on the couch' Sara said, her voice sweet and loving

She glanced in the rear view mirror to check on her daughter and was surprised to find that she was already sound asleep.

WCWCWC

Neal checked his watch; they'd been gone for over thirty minutes and as much as he was enjoying the company of adults for a change, he was well aware that Liam's good mood probably hadn't lasted more than a few minutes.

Diana saw the worried look in his eyes and surmised what he was thinking.

'Who are you worried about, Peter or Liam?' she asked

'Both, actually' he admitted with his patented smile 'Liam's been miserable since yesterday. He's teething and...'

He looked up at Diana then back at Jones – whatever he'd said had elicited a furtive exchange of glances between the two of them and despite his immediate concern for what might be happening a few floors above them, he couldn't help but react.

'So... what's going on? What is it you're not telling me?' he asked as he looked from one to the other

Diana piped up, her face glowing, unable to contain herself any longer.

'I'm pregnant!' she announced with a wide grin

'What?' Neal said as he rose to hug his friend

She and Christie had been talking about going the artificial insemination route for awhile but he hadn't realized that they'd actually embarked on the procedure.

'That's amazing! I'm so happy for you guys' Neal gushed as Jones sat by, watching with a smile on his face

'Well, we've been talking about it forever and we finally took the plunge' she explained 'I just found out last week so...' she let her voice trail

'You and Christie are going to be _great_ parents' Neal said '... and you know you can always come to me for advice, right?'

'Well, it's all very exciting but I have to say, it's also very scary' she admitted

'I hear you. I've been there' Neal said before adding with a dreamy look in his eyes '...but believe me, it's the most wonderful thing in the world'

Diana smiled a radiant smile, wider than Neal had ever seen and he stood once again to give her another hug.

WCWCWC

The cries could be heard even before the elevator door opened on the 21st floor and Neal exchanged worried glances with both Jones and Diana before he stepped off and hurriedly made his way back to his ex-boss' office. He noticed a few eyes being rolled as he hurried by; he had a feeling the crying might have been going on for _more_ than a few minutes. Sounded like Peter had bitten off more than he could chew but Neal wasn't prepared for what he saw as he reached the short staircase and glanced into the conference room.

There stood Peter holding Liam at arms' length with a look of terror on his face while the baby wailed, a tell-tale noxious odor emanating from the room.

'Peter! What happened?' he asked, over the loud wails

'I think he had a... a bowel movement' Peter answered between unsteady gasps of air

Neal could see the telltale brown colored stain spreading on Liam's rear end, seeping through his diaper and the now not so cute overalls. He quickly grabbed for a receiving blanket from Liam's diaper bag before rescuing Peter from the awkward situation.

'Oh, no!' he said as he placed the blanket over Liam's toosh so he could safely take him from Peter. The word 'diarrhea' flashed in his mind, another in that long list of symptoms he'd read the night before on his computer screen.

Peter took a step back as Neal took over, a look of relief in the older man's eyes.

'I'll be back. I just... need to step into my office for a minute' he said, his voice unsteady as he scurried into his office, closing the door between the two rooms

Despite the urgency of the situation, Neal decided that comforting Liam was the first order of business although he _was_ having difficulty breathing through his nose. He closed the door to the conference room in an attempt to muffle the loud wailing which could be heard echoing throughout the whole office and he began the job of calming down his frantic son.

After a few moments of holding him close and talking softly to him, Liam's cries ultimately began to diminish as he fought to catch his breath between sobs, an obvious sign that he was slowing down. Neal soldiered on, waiting for his son to be calm enough before he lay him down to see to the messy job of changing his diaper – and in this case, his clothes.

'I know baby, I know. It's no fun is it?' Neal said soothingly as he walked over and began to take the items he'd need out of the diaper bag.

He got to work and although it took a few moments to get focussed, he began to clean up the mess right there on the very conference room table where they had discussed cases countless times before. He removed the soiled clothes and offending diaper and carefully placed everything in a plastic bag while he expertly washed Liam's little bum and began restoring order to the chaotic situation, all the while talking calmly to his son who was now smiling up at his dad.

The cries having finally diminished, the door separating Peter's office and the conference room opened tentatively and Peter peeked in, armed with a can of air freshener which he seemed to be holding up as a weapon and the senior agent took a few hesitant steps into the room.

'Why Agent Burke' Neal said wryly as he looked up 'you decided to return to the scene of the crime'

Over the years, Neal had seen Peter in dozens of life threatening situations: standing up to dangerous criminals and even facing down the barrel of a gun on a few occasions. However, throughout the years, he'd _never_ seen the agent back down from danger and yet, a poopy diaper had managed to get the better of him, sending him scurrying from the room like a frightened little girl.

'I never knew you could run so fast, Peter!' Neal said sarcastically as he lifted a now clean and happy Liam into his arms

Peter looked back, embarrassed that he'd behaved in such a cowardly manner.

They were both oblivious to Jones, pointing his phone in their direction. This stuff was priceless and the evidence he was capturing on film could be used in oh so many situations down the line, he thought devilishly as he clicked away.

'Oh, you're bad!' Diana said over his shoulder as Jones looked back and grinned.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sara and Neal sat on the couch in the family room with their offspring sandwiched snugly between them. They had made it home despite the persistent snow which had escalated from flurries to an out and out winter storm and the weather office was calling for an additional 6 to 8 inches overnight.

All four of them looked miserable as they snuggled under a warm blanket and pretended to watch the movie that Neal had haphazardly popped into the DVD player. Hope sniffled as she remained tucked in between her mom and dad, her eyes red and glassy, her fever flaring up again while her brother sat on his dad's knee, moaning every so often as he sucked on the teething ring his dad had picked up on the way home.

It was a picture of pure misery and to make matters worse, Neal had been feeling a persistent tickle in his throat for the past hour or so - something he was refusing to acknowledge. He put his arm around Sara, pulling the womenfolk closer to him and from a distance, they looked like one big giant blob instead of four distinct human beings as they remained pressed against each other under the warm, cozy blanket.

'Are you hungry?' Sara asked her husband as she began to feel the familiar pangs in the pit of her stomach

'Huh, huh' Neal answered, his eyes bleary

It was past 11:00 and the kids were still up, having slept off and on since they'd gotten home that afternoon. Although Sara had breastfed Liam and Hope had managed to keep down a few ounces of apple juice, neither Neal nor Sara had had the inclination to make dinner and Sara was now feeling the need to eat something, although she couldn't be bothered to get up off the couch.

'Do you want me to get you something?' Neal asked unenthusiastically

'Naw, it's okay. Don't move' she answered as she leaned in a little closer to him, squeezing Hope between them

'At least Liam's stopped crying' he said, looking for that silver lining

'Yeah' she responded listlessly as her eyes began to close

'Do you think we should all go up to bed?' Neal asked, not really wanting to move from the comfortable position they were in

'Naw... too comfy' she murmured as she pulled Hope onto her lap and let herself melt into Neal's side

The sudden movement seemed to bring Hope back to life and she looked up at her mom, eyes droopy.

'Mommy, is Santa still going to come even if I'm sick?' Hope asked, suddenly worried

'Of course he is, honey' Sara said as she looked over at her husband 'Why would you ask _that_?'

'I don't know...I made a mess at your work...' she began looking up into her mom's eyes

Sara wondered if maybe they hadn't been overdoing the 'naughty and nice' thing just a little bit.

'Hope, you didn't do _anything_ wrong. You just have the flu that's all. Santa knows that' Sara answered as she ran a hand through her daughter's hair

'As a matter of fact' Neal added 'you've been such a big help with Liam lately, helping me and mommy whenever he gets cranky. I heard that Santa has special toys _just_ for big sisters'

Hope's eyes seemed to brighten a little at that and she curled up against her mom as Neal and Sara exchanged knowing looks.

She coughed roughly and Sara pulled her in a little tighter while Liam let out a little moan, Neal bouncing him on his knees a couple of times to settle him down a bit.

They all stared ahead blankly at the screen while Aladdin and Jasmine flew through the air on their magic carpet. 'A whole new world' indeed...

WCWCWC

On Saturday morning, Sara woke in a panic realizing Christmas was just three days away - time was running out. Whether she liked it or not, she needed to face the crowds and get Neal that present – although she still hadn't had any inspiration. She also needed to pick up that gift for Hope at the mall; the singing microphone had been at the top of their daughter's gift list and she'd been waiting two weeks for the store to call with the news that the toy had arrived.

Neal, on the other hand, woke to a pounding headache which he chalked up to the fact they had spent half the night in a human heap on the family room couch. He wanted to get those Christmas lights sorted out; luckily, he remembered he'd bought some spare lights and stashed them on that shelf in the garage the last time he'd hit their neighborhood Home Depot. The street Christmas party was that night and although it was looking likely they wouldn't be attending this year, he still wanted the house to look nice. Maybe he'd even win the prize for best decorated house in absentia and he could collect his long coveted trophy in the morning.

'I want to replace those Christmas lights before it gets too crazy around here' he said, lingering over a cup of coffee

Both Hope and Liam were still sleeping and Neal and Sara were sharing a few rare moments of alone – and quiet – time, something they hadn't had in a few days.

'Okay. But I have to go the mall today – do you think you can shovel us out?' she asked

The snowfall which had been promised had materialized overnight and now, the sun was shining brightly over the freshly fallen blanket of snow which covered everything in sight.

'Yeah, just let me jump in the shower first, okay?' he said, groggily

'And don't forget Peter and Elizabeth are coming by for lunch' she added

'Oh, I almost forgot' Neal moaned lethargically as he checked the time. It was already ten thirty. 'I think I'll just pop a quiche in the oven' he added, 'I guess the lights will have to wait until after lunch'

Luckily, Neal always had a few meals stashed in the freezer for emergencies; in his present state, he wasn't feeling up to making brunch from scratch. Sara looked up at her husband and wandered over to where he sat, settling in his lap as she placed a hand on his forehead.

'You okay?' she asked, concerned 'I sure hope you're not coming down with whatever Hope has'

'Naw, I'm just really tired' he said as he pulled her closer

The moment was interrupted by the sound of Liam crying as his wails echoed through the house.

'And so it begins' Sara said as she kissed Neal's forehead and prepared to collect their son from his crib

WCWCWC

'Well, you guys have a great time!' Neal said as he and Sara walked the Burkes to the front door

Peter and Elizabeth hadn't wanted to stay long; they were anxious to hit the road while the weather was good. The drive to Peter's parents' place would take them a good four hours and they wanted to get there before the sun went down. The four of them had a quick bite to eat while Hope rested on the couch and Liam played in his highchair, much happier than the last time Peter had seen him.

'And don't forget, Hope...' Elizabeth called back to her goddaughter from the front door '...no peeking at those gifts until Christmas morning'

'Okay' Hope answered rather listlessly as she lounged on the nearby couch, sucking on a popsicle

'Thanks for everything, you two' Sara said as she hugged both Peter and Elizabeth 'And drive safe'

'We will. And don't forget, we're doing New Years Eve when we get back' Peter reminded them

The Caffreys stood in the doorway, arms around each other, waving their friends off as they watched them drive away, both obviously feeling a little lost without their usual anchors. Peter and El were always there it seemed and it felt strange to think of Christmas without them.

Neal turned to Sara and surmising her thoughts, he pulled her in as he spoke.

'Don't worry. They'll be back in a week' he said, his arms tight around her

'It'll be _nice_ to be just the four of us for once' he added as much for his benefit as for hers

Sara smiled back, looking into her husband's loving eyes and out of the blue, she pulled him in for a kiss, a nice juicy one which seemed to surprise Neal under the circumstances

'What's that for?' he whispered so Hope couldn't hear

'Consider it a down payment' she said, playfully 'Maybe we can get the kids to bed at a decent hour tonight...'

'Hum, now there's a thought' Neal answered, getting into the mood and bringing his lip to her neck for a quick nuzzle

'Mmmm' Sara moaned in agreement

They hadn't heard any movement but suddenly, Hope was standing there between them, tugging insistently at her mom's sleeve.

'Mommy, can I have another popsicle?' she asked

WCWCWC

Neal made quick work of replacing the defective string of lights on the house and he stood admiring his handiwork as he finished shovelling. Let it not be said that the Caffrey house was not beautifully decorated for the festive season. He was exhausted from the workout and once again, he blamed his current condition on his lack of sleep, choosing to ignore the lingering headache and persistent tickle in his throat. Headaches were nothing new for Neal; he'd been suffering from chonic headaches ever since that accident he'd been involved in the previous winter. He's been riding in a cab when a bus had hit them broadside and he'd spent several months recovering from a brain injury which continued to haunt him to this day.

At least, Liam seemed a bit better. The teething ring he'd picked up on his way home the day before really seemed to be helping soothe the pain and despite the persistent redness in his cheeks and the bouts of diarrhea, he wasn't fussing quite as much and they'd actually managed to get three straight hours of sleep the night before. Hope was still running a fever though and her symptoms were more along the lines of a runny nose, a sore throat, chills and various aches and pains but she hadn't thrown up since the night before, which was an encouraging sign. Maybe they were finally turning the corner; it couldn't get much worse than it had been over the past two days, that was for sure.

Neal thought of Sara's little 'come on' earlier; maybe tonight would be the night he'd finally get lucky. Having a rewarding (and regular) sex life was really a challenge with two young children in the house. Sara had recently recovered from a bout of post-partum depression following Liam's birth – something which had thrown them both for a loop – and although her interest in resuming their previously active sex life had clearly returned, the energy to act on it wasn't always there.

He finished shovelling the driveway and pulled in one of the cars, leaving the other one on the street; Sara was heading out to do some shopping and she'd be leaving shortly anyway.

He made his way back inside to find Sara already standing there at the front door with her coat on, ready to hit the stores.

'You sure you'll be okay for a couple of hours on your own?' she asked

He gave her an eye roll – the famous Caffrey one – before responding.

'Oh, ye of little faith' he said, jostling her

'Hey' he called as she prepared to leave 'Get me something nice, huh?'

WCWCWC

The afternoon wasn't bad, considering the last few days of ups and downs, and Neal even found the time to do a little bit of baking. He'd wanted to make some pies for their Christmas dinner and he congratulated himself on having the forethought to freeze some of those strawberries he'd picked from their backyard last summer. No one had been more surprised than Neal to find that he enjoyed the whole gardening thing; he loved tending to the flower beds and small fruit bushes he'd planted when they'd moved into their house almost five years before. As hard as it had been to leave Manhattan behind, there were definite advantages to living in the suburbs not the least of which had been having a garden and a backyard for the kids to play in.

'Do you need me to pop in another DVD?' he called out to Hope who was curled up on the couch

He took a few steps when she didn't respond and noticed she was sound asleep once more; he moved to turn off the television set and glanced over at Liam who was in his playpen, happily playing with a few of the toys littered nearby.

'Hey buddy' he said as he walked over 'How's the diaper situation, huh?'

In light of Liam's current condition, it was important to check his diaper regularly and Neal lifted him out of his playpen as the baby complained at the interruption in his play. Neal gave a cursory sniff of his bottom and satisfied that all was well, he carried him over to his high chair so he could feed him a few bites of the rice cereal he'd recently graduated to. Neal settled him down, giving him a toy to keep him busy while he prepared to mix the unappetizing mush.

The phone rang just as he'd fed him the first bite, Liam digging in gratefully.

'It's Mommy' Neal whispered, glancing at the display and winking 'She probably wants to tell us she loves us'

'What did you forget?' he asked teasingly as he put the phone to his ear

'Mr. Caffrey?' he heard the male voice say

'Yes' he answered hesitatingly 'Who's this?'

'This is Officer Mallory from NYPD, sir. Your wife has been involved in a car accident'

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

'A car accident?' Neal repeated, louder than he'd meant to

Liam looked up at his dad, startled by the sound of his voice and he began to whine as Neal momentarily moved away so he could hear what the officer was saying. He could feel his stomach lurching and he swallowed hard to keep from gagging, afraid to hear the details of what had happened.

'Sir, she _seems_ fine but her airbag deployed and she _did_ lose consciousness for about a minute' the officer answered

'Can I talk to her?' Neal asked, suddenly needing to hear the reassuring sound of his wife's voice

'Yes sir, just a minute' came the voice on the other end

Neal could hear muffled voices and traffic sounds in the background and Sara's voice finally came on the line, sounding shaky.

'Neal? Don't worry, I'm fine' she said although he immediately had his doubts 'The police insisted on calling you because they say I lost consciousness'

Neal frowned at the way she'd said that. True to herself, Sara couldn't remember passing out and yet she was downplaying the seriousness of the situation.

'Are you hurt?' he asked as Liam continued to whimper, struggling to reach for the nearby bowl of cereal

'I don't know... I don't _think_ so but... they won't let me leave the scene alone because of... because I passed out' she said her voice unsteady

'It's okay, honey. You stay put, I'm coming to get you' Neal said, trying to sound reassuring and in control of the situation – which he most certainly was _not_. His mind moved into overdrive as he tried to figure out how he was going to get himself and two sick kids out of the house in record time 'Where are you?'

The next thing Neal knew, the officer was back on the line, giving him their exact location.

'Sir, I really think you should have your wife checked out for internal injuries, just in case. She likely has a concussion as well' the man explained

Neal nodded and realized he needed to say something audible in response. 'Yes...yes... I'll be there as soon as I can. Can someone stay with her until I get there?'

'Yes, sir. Would you prefer we call an ambulance?' the man asked

'I can be there in fifteen minutes' Neal said, realizing that was a rather ambitious estimate 'Do you think she _needs_ an ambulance?'

'I don't think so but we won't hesitate to call one if the situation warrants it. We're cleaning up the scene so we'll be here a while yet. We'll wait for you to get here' the man answered

'Alright, thank you' Neal said, wondering what 'cleaning up the scene' meant

He glanced over at his children and immediately jumped into action - faster than he ever remembered doing in his life.

WCWCWC

Neal tried desperately to remain calm as he drove the short distance to the White Plains Mall, mere minutes from their house, cursing the heavy holiday traffic as he went. In a pale imitation of his wife, he had rushed through the house, frantically gathering things to put into Liam's diaper bag as Hope got her backpack ready with a few snacks and things she might need to keep busy when they got to the hospital. It was three days before Christmas – a Saturday to boot – and the emergency room would likely be filled to capacity as doctors' offices closed for the holidays. Hope was more alert than she'd been in a couple of days and although she'd been annoyed at having to get off the comfy couch and get dressed in record time, she was now securely buckled into the back seat of the car, trying to keep Liam quiet while her dad drove hastily to the busy intersection located just a block away from their local mall.

Neal noticed a lot of glass and twisted metal when he pulled up to the scene of the accident and he could see a commotion by the traffic lights where a number of cars were pulled over to the side of the road including their badly damaged Mazda which sat alongside three police cruisers. He barely recognized the car, which had obviously been hit from both the back and the front, and he pulled over, parking securely away from the scene.

'Honey, do you think you can keep an eye on Liam while I go check on Mommy?' he asked his daughter, one hand already on the door handle 'I'll be right over there' he said, pointing to where he saw Sara standing alongside a couple of other people including five or six police officers.

He glanced at Hope in the rear view mirror, watching as she pulled out a book from her backpack, ostensibly to keep her crying baby brother occupied for a few minutes.

'Is Mommy okay?' she asked, worried

'She's fine, see?' he said with false bravado 'I'll be right back, just stay in the car'

He stepped out onto the snow covered pavement and booked it towards Sara who remained standing along with the other drivers, all looking shell shocked. At first glance, he noticed there were three cars involved in the mishap, all in various states of disrepair - although their small car had definitely taken the brunt of the impact. He wondered how Sara could be standing there looking like her usual self when she'd obviously been rear-ended and gone crashing into the car ahead of her.

'Neal!' she said, her voice shaky, as she spotted him running towards her

'Sara!' he cried out, instinctively opening his arms to her

He felt her recoil in pain and he immediately pulled out of her grasp to check her out more carefully; her face had a few tiny cuts, a yellowish contusion was beginning to form under her left eye and she was holding on to her stomach – a worrisome gesture that immediately got Neal's attention.

'Where does it hurt, honey?' he asked as he held her arms to steady her and proceeded to examine her up and down

She was about to respond when someone came up behind them and Neal heard the familiar voice of the police officer saying his name.

'Are you Mr. Caffrey?' came the voice Neal recognized from the earlier phone call

'Yes... yes I am' Neal said as he put out his hand to shake the officer's hand 'Thank you for staying with my wife'

'Well, I think she got away without too much damage which is more than I can say for your car, I'm afraid' he said, pointing to the wreck nearby '...but I'm no doctor so I strongly encourage you to have her looked at'

Neal nodded in agreement. 'What happened?' he asked

'Your wife was stopped at a red light behind _this_ guy' he said as he pointed to a nearby truck whose back end was totalled 'and she was rear ended by _this_ guy'

Neal checked out the pile of rubble and felt a pang of guilt – why hadn't he pulled the car into the driveway instead of their SUV? Maybe she would have been better protected from the impact in the larger vehicle. He kept his arm wrapped snugly around his wife's shoulder, feeling her legs unsteady as she shook against him - partly because of the cold but more likely due to the inevitable shock. Suddenly, his priority was to get her to the hospital as soon as possible to make sure she didn't have any internal injuries, to say nothing of the concussion she was likely suffering from.

'What about...' Neal began before the officer finished his sentence for him

'Don't worry; we'll have everything towed away. Just make sure she gets the care she needs and don't forget to let your insurance company know what happened' he said as Neal began to slowly guide Sara towards their one functioning vehicle, anxious to get her to White Plains Hospital.

They'd taken a few steps in that direction when he felt Sara falter, stopping for an instant as she seemed to struggle with her balance. The next thing he knew, she was pulling away from him and doubling over to empty the contents of her stomach by the edge of the road as passersby looked on. Neal held her arm tightly as he felt her sway and he swallowed hard, feeling his own stomach rumbling at the sight of her throwing up. After a moment, she stood and collected herself, giving him an apologetic glance as he returned his arm snugly around her shoulder and the two of them made their way back to the car where Liam and Hope sat waiting for their parents.

Now that Sara was safely by his side, he could feel himself beginning to shake, the adrenaline which had been pumping through his veins slowly fading. She was feeling the same and just as he prepared to open the car door for her to step in, she turned back and, nerves finally getting the better of her, she threw herself into Neal's arms, softly sobbing.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' she kept crying incoherently as shock set in

'It's okay, it's okay' Neal said reassuringly, holding her tight and rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her 'You're okay, sweetheart. I'm here now, everything's going to be fine'

They stood glued to each other for a brief moment, Sara feeling her husband's reassuring touch and hearing his comforting words and she finally relaxed, suddenly becoming aware of her surroundings. She glanced into the back seat where she could see – and hear – Liam's persistent cries. Neal settled her into the front seat, pulling her seatbelt on securely as he always did with the kids and he made his way to the driver's side of the car, his whole body shaking.

'Awww! It's alright, Liam. Don't cry' Sara said as she attempted to turn in her seat to comfort her son

'Sara, he's fine. Try to relax, okay?' Neal said as he grabbed for her trembling hand

'Mommy, are you alright?' Hope asked, her voice small

'I'm fine, sweetie' Sara said, trying to sound reassuring as she pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the car window in an effort to counter the persistent gurgling of her upset stomach 'I just need to let the doctor check me out'

'See Liam, I told you she's going to be fine' said big sister Hope reassuringly as she handed Liam the teething ring which had fallen out of his reach

Neal let out a nervous laugh at the sweet gesture and he glanced over at his wife who was looking back at him with the same worried smile.

WCWCWC

The drive to the hospital seemed agonizingly slow although now that Sara was sitting beside him, Neal was calmer than he'd been before. The drive over to the scene of the accident had been far worse as his imagination had run rampant with scenarios of what he might find when he got there. Of course, Neal knew perfectly well that Sara might be suffering from internal injuries, invisible to the naked eye, and he was most anxious to have her checked out but somehow, for the moment, having her sitting next to him was enough and he held on tightly to her hand as he navigated the road ahead. Thankfully, Liam seemed to have settled down a bit and everyone was momentarily quiet as he continued to weave in and out of traffic.

Neal had chalked up the constant flutter in his stomach to the events of the afternoon but he was increasingly aware that the nausea he'd been feeling since before the fated phone call continued to linger and he could no longer deny the persistent headache and aches and pains he'd been feeling all day. Despite the fact he would have given his right arm to go lie down and rest, he prepared for what would likely be a long wait in the emergency room and pushing away his own discomfort, he turned his attention to the more immediate problem: getting Sara checked out.

He parked in the designated area and took a moment to figure out the logistics of getting all four of them safely inside to the triage area. Keeping Liam in his car seat seemed like a smart move although the contraption was bulky and cumbersome; if they were going to be there for any length of time, which seemed likely, the baby would be able to nap safely in his seat. Hope could get herself inside on her own steam but Sara was looking shaky and unsteady so Neal made it to her side of the car and carrying the car seat in his arms, he got Sara to latch on to him to safely make the short trek inside.

'Hope, can you handle the two bags?' he called back to his daughter who followed close behind with their baggage

And with that, the Caffrey clan made its way into the emergency room of White Plains Hospital.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The good news was that Sara Ellis had been assessed as a high priority case; the bad news was that, no matter how you sliced it, the wait in the busy emergency room was going to be painfully long. Luckily, she'd been evaluated by the triage nurse within minutes of her arrival and almost immediately examined by the ER doctor who went on to request a battery of tests so she could properly diagnose and treat any potential internal injuries. Sara was then returned to the waiting room where she sat alongside her husband and children to wait for the next diagnostic procedure in the long list of tests which had been ordered by the doctor.

She sat with her head against Neal's shoulder, slipping in and out of sleep while Liam snoozed nearby in his car seat and Hope lay across a couple of chairs, her head lying on her dad's lap as she read a book.

Neal was working hard to camouflage the now undeniable fact that he'd been hit big time with the same flu bug which had afflicted their daughter for the past 48 hours. He had all the telltale symptoms including fever and chills and his stomach had been churning incessantly between regular visits to the nearby washroom where, unbeknownst to Sara, he'd taken refuge on two occasions to empty its contents only to return with a big con man smile on his face. Being in a waiting room full of vulnerable, sick people probably wasn't the most strategic of moves on his part given the situation but Neal was determined to stick by his wife until she got a proper diagnosis and he could safely bring her home.

He felt her stir against his shoulder and she sat up, her own eyes unfocussed as she looked over at him, finally beginning to clue in to what her husband was so valiantly trying to hide from her.

'Neal, you're burning up' she said as she pulled away from his body which was radiating more heat than an overheated Coleman stove on a family camping trip

'I'm fine. I'm just tired' he lied with a weak smile

'You are _not_ fine' she said, looking into his eyes and noticing how red and lifeless they were

She reached over to feel his forehead and despite a last ditch effort on his part to dodge her probing hand, she succeeded, frowning at what she'd discovered.

'You _are_ running a fever' she said, worried 'Honey, why don't you go home with the kids – I'll be _fine_ on my own'

In an effort to distract her, Neal lifted his arm up around her shoulder and pulled her in against his chest, hoping to focus her probing gaze away from his face – which had apparently given him away.

'I'm _not_ leaving you here alone. You probably have a concussion and God knows what else' he said with as much firmness as he could muster in his present state

She shook her head in response, unable to think of an argument to counter her husband's obstinate stance; her head was throbbing and she was in no fit state to try to argue with one of the most persistent people she'd ever met. She settled in against his warm body, finding comfort there as she always did and she let out a long, slow breath.

'I'm sorry about the car' she said, her voice quiet

'Don't worry about the car, that's the least of our worries' Neal said as he squeezed her tight 'I'm just so relieved you're going to be okay... you have no idea how scared I was...' he said, his voice trailing

She laughed sardonically as she let herself settle into his side 'Can you believe the last couple of days?' she asked rhetorically as Neal moaned in response

If bad luck came in threes, they had definitely had their fair share what with Hope getting the flu, Liam being so miserable and now this unexpected twist of fate which had landed them all in the ER on a Saturday night.

Hope fidgeted on Neal's lap and looked up into her parents' eyes.

'I'm hungry' she said as they both chuckled

'Well, that's a good sign, sweet pea. Did you eat the yogurt and the banana you brought?' Neal asked as Sara moved out of his grasp momentarily

Hope nodded brightly; to her parents' relief, she was looking like her old self again - animated, energetic and...apparently hungry.

'Do you want to get yourself something out of that vending machine?' Neal asked, pointing to the contraption nearby

Hope eyes lit up at the notion; she had spotted the machine the moment they'd walked in and she'd had her eye on the Kit Kat bar located at C 13 for the past hour. The vending machine was loaded with junk food and her dad would have no choice but to break the sacred rule of healthy eating – for once. Neal reached into his pocket and handed his daughter a couple of bills as she stood and sauntered over to the machine, eager to make her purchase.

'No chocolate!' Neal admonished as she turned to look at him with a scowl

'Mrs. Caffrey!' they heard from the nearby doorway 'We're ready for your MRI'

WCWCWC

It was past 9:30 on a Saturday night and the Caffreys were still sitting in the ER, more than five hours after they'd arrived. The place was rocking with cases of flu, various injuries, cuts, bruises, broken bones and dozens of other, less discernible ailments. Sara had repeatedly tried to convince Neal to go home with the kids but he'd been adamant; he wasn't about to leave his concussed wife alone in the ER, no matter what she said. All the necessary tests had been carried out and the foursome waited patiently for the doctor to return so she could share the results from the many procedures Sara had been subjected to including a brain scan, an MRI, an ultrasound and some X-rays.

Try as he might to stay alert, Neal had fallen asleep, his head lolling to one side as Sara held Liam while Hope sat nearby munching on a bag of salt and vinegar chips, her third 'treat' since they'd arrived. Despite the persistent pain in her ribs, Sara had managed to breastfeed Liam. He'd finished the one and only bottle Neal had thrown in his diaper bag hours ago and he was obviously hungry. He fussed in her arms as she gingerly moved him to her other breast, trying to nurse him discretely despite the prying eyes in the jam-packed waiting room.

As well as the pain flaring up incessantly in her ribs, her head was throbbing from the impact of the air bag on her face and neck and she was aching all over despite the meds they'd given her for the pain and discomfort.

Hope looked up at her mom, her eyes tired and began to moan with her usual dramatic flair.

'I want to go hoooome' she whined with an exaggerated pout

'I know, honey. So do I' Sara said with a forced smile 'It shouldn't be much longer'

Liam was fussing and he began to cry again, as he'd been doing off and on since they'd arrived. This had to be some kind of private hell reserved just for parents, thought Sara: waiting for hours in an enclosed space with two cranky kids and two barely functional adults.

Neal stirred, his eyes glassy as he turned towards his wife.

'Sara! What are you doing? You shouldn't be holding him' he said as he reached out to take Liam from her

'He's hungry, Neal. Do _you_ want to breastfeed him?' she asked, wincing in pain, her typical acerbic wit obviously intact

Neal glared at his wife – it was difficult to say which one of them was in worse shape. Despite the fact that the flu was not a life threatening ailment, it _was_ painfully debilitating and he chuckled at her wisecrack through the nausea and the pounding in his head.

Life had been rough the last few days but despite the ups and downs, they were together and they had each other, no matter what.

'I love you, Repo' he said suddenly, not at all what she had expected to hear

She couldn't help but give him a sincere smile despite the many aches and pains racking her body.

'Caffrey...' she answered lovingly

Neal took Liam in his arms and brought him to rest on his chest and the baby began to settle once again. Sara laced her arm through Neal's, settling her head on his shoulder as Hope moved in to cuddle her dad on the other side.

They were quite the foursome, united in hardship, against all odds.

WCWCWC

They were ushered into a small examination room just past 10:30; the wait finally over. A young woman walked in, clad in a lab coat, stethoscope hanging from her neck.

'Well, hello' she said as she glanced around the room at the bleary faces 'If I didn't know better, I'd have to ask which one of you is the patient'

'My mommy was in car accident' Hope said, in case clarification was really necessary

The doctor laughed at Hope's comment.

'I know, sweetie. I'm Dr. Williams. What's your name?' the kind doctor asked

'Hope Ellis-Caffrey' she responded politely

'Well, Hope Ellis-Caffrey, it's nice to meet you' she said shaking her hand as Sara and Neal watched with interest

'Your mommy is going to be just fine' she said as she turned her attention to Sara

'Mrs. Caffrey, you're suffering from a mild concussion, bruised ribs and some contusions around your hips due to the seat belt you were wearing - but there's no evidence of any internal injuries' she explained as Sara listened, a little out of it from the pain medication they'd given her

'I'm prescribing something for the aches and pains which will likely linger for a few days and I'd like you to see your family doctor after the holidays just to monitor your cuts and bruises' she added as Neal fought to stay alert – well alert _enough_ to get the gist of what the doctor was saying.

'I'm also prescribing sleep for all four of you. You all look dead on your feet' she added as she looked into Neal's hazy, unfocussed eyes 'Hopefully, you'll all be well enough to enjoy Christmas'

At the doctor's mention of the holiday, Hope piped up, obviously the more alert of the foursome at this point.

'Santa's coming to my house on Christmas day' she said with a bright smile

'Well, maybe you can ask Santa to make everyone in your family healthy again' said the doctor as she exited, leaving the exhausted family anxious to get home to their respective beds

WCWCWC

By 11:00, they were safely back in their quiet neighborhood. Neal looked longingly over at the Sterling house across the street from their place, noticing the lights were still on. Cheryl and Don Sterling were hosting the street Christmas party this year and he briefly wished he and Sara were sitting in their living room with the rest of their neighbors, sipping on a festive drink instead of dealing with sick kids and the fallout from a car accident.

Sara needed help with the short trek from the car to the house; she was woozy, her legs unstable and her ribs were still screaming for attention despite the meds she'd been prescribed for pain. Neal helped her into the house as she babbled on uncharacteristically and he instructed her to sit on the couch and wait for his return while he went back out to get the kids who had both fallen asleep in the car on the way home. When he returned thirty seconds later, carrying both their sleeping offspring in his arms, he found her snoring on the living room couch right where he'd left her. He trudged up the stairs and got both kids settled into bed before returning for his sleeping wife who had graduated to some blissfully drugged state which he clearly envied at this point. He managed to rouse her enough to sling her arm around his neck and he supported her weight, both of them struggling to walk across the room to the bottom of the stairs where he finally gave up and scooped her up in his arms, straining as he carried her the rest of the way up to their bedroom.

Her eyes fluttered open as he lifted her into his arms and she looked at him with a look of confusion on her face as she kissed his fevered cheek.

'This is just like our wedding night... at June's' she said, her voice languorous and her words slurred

'Well... not exactly' he responded, out of breath as he lumbered up the stairs

'I love you' she said, her voice fading as Neal sniggered in response

She grew silent and he thought she'd drifted off again as he attempted to maneuver her through their bedroom doorway.

'Neal?...' she moaned as she rested her head against his shoulder 'I'm sorry'

'Honey, I told you, there's nothing to be sorry about' he gasped as he endeavored to take the last few steps towards the bed with her dead weight in his tired arms

'You're the best husband ev-' she said, drifting off again mid-sentence

Her body was relaxed against his and he let her fall with a thud onto their bed, struggling to get her out of her clothes and under the blankets just as Liam started crying again despite the fact he had a clean diaper and a full tummy. Neal couldn't take much more and he cursed under his breath as a plan began to form in his muddled mind.

He made a quick pit stop in the bathroom, downing a dose of flu medication and he headed into Liam's room, scooping him up, handing him the teething ring and returning to his own bed where he tucked his grateful and now quiet son between him and his snoring wife.

He had just drifted off himself when he heard Hope's tiny voice and he turned to see her standing there next to him by the bed.

'Daddy, I can't sleep' she said 'My tummy hurts'

Neal thought of all the junk food she'd ingested – it was no wonder her stomach was rebelling.

'Come on up' he said as he lifted her up onto the conjugal bed which had now morphed into the family bed

He settled her in next to her baby brother, his arm wrapped around her little body and gave her a quick peck on the forehead as he let his head fall back on the pillow.

It grew blissfully quiet and Neal closed his eyes, letting the silence lull him to sleep.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Neal moaned as he slept...and dreamed. Ever since his accident the previous winter, Neal had begun to have bright, vivid dreams. He was still being monitored at the Brain Injury Clinic at Lenox Hill Hospital where he'd been treated originally - although his check-ins took place every six weeks now instead of the weekly appointments he'd had immediately after the accident. The memory loss he'd suffered had caused a great deal of anguish for Neal as he'd struggled to put the pieces of his life with Sara back together and many times, his recollections would come in the form of vivid, colorful dreams where he witnessed bits and pieces of his life being played out before his eyes. Of course, sometimes his dreams were just that, whimsical forays into his subconscious but whenever he dreamed of Sara and Hope, he would jot down the particulars on a piece of paper he kept on his bedside table so he could check the facts with his wife, adding the new memory to his ever increasing patchwork of recollections.

When Neal next opened his eyes to the sound of Liam's soft moaning, it was already 7:30 on Sunday morning. The trio of bodies to his left were still blissfully unconscious and he examined their faces as he took stock of his own status, noting that, although the aches and pains associated with his fever remained, his stomach had finally settled. It was still unusual for Liam to sleep through the night and he reached over his daughter's sleeping form to touch his son's face, noticing just how warm he was. Liam squawked softly in reaction to the touch and Hope opened her eyes, looking straight at her dad, bright eyed and bushy tailed.

'Daddy?' she said softly 'Are we going to the parade today?'

'Oh, honey. Mommy and I are really not feeling well...' he began, watching as the smile on her face faded to a frown

'But, you said...' she began as she tried to keep her emotions in check

'I know, sweet pea, we _said_ we would go but Mommy needs to rest and I've got your nasty flu, now' he said, tickling her

She let out a giggle despite her disappointment.

'Tell you what, though' Neal added 'How about you and I spend some time in the studio today. I still need to put the finishing touches on Mommy's present and you can keep working on that drawing of Olivia you were working on'

She shrugged. It sure as hell wasn't as good as going to the parade but spending time with her dad in the studio ranked up there as one of her top three favorite things in life and in light of the situation, it would have to do.

'Okay' she finally relented, disappointment obvious in her voice 'I'm going to go read in my room'

Neal watched as his little girl climbed out of bed and shuffled out of the room, returning his attention to the other two occupants of the bed.

Sunday... two more shopping days 'till Christmas; he still needed to pick something up for Sara and he had to get the food sorted out which meant another 'fun' trip to the grocery store.

Liam's inert body lay next to his sleeping mom and Neal returned his hand to his son's forehead noticing his sleeper was soaked through from a full bladder and what he now suspected was a fever. Despite his pounding headache, Neal moved gingerly on the bed and lifted a moaning, sleepy Liam up into his arms, carrying him down the hall to his room to see to his pressing needs. Contrary to the last two days, when Liam cried almost incessantly, the baby lay unresponsive on the change table and Neal coaxed him into opening his eyes for a moment, getting a fleeting glimpse of his beautiful green eyes before he promptly returned to his restless sleep. Neal went through the motions of changing his diaper and his sleeper as he tried to jostle him and bring him back to wakefulness but Liam continued to snooze, moaning softly.

Neal moved to Hope's bedroom and stood in the doorway, with Liam in his arms, watching as his daughter lay on the bed, unaware of his presence. He could hear her struggling to read out loud – mostly from memory, after having had this particular book read to her on countless occasions. She was learning to read at school and she loved books, _all_ books; she loved reading them, touching them, collecting them and just generally surrounding herself with a bookshelf full of escapades and adventures.

'Hope?' Neal interrupted 'Do you want to come down and help me make breakfast?'

Although ingesting anything other than a glass of juice was of no interest to him at the moment, he could at least give his daughter a good, healthy breakfast after her night of debauchery with the infamous vending machine in the White Plains Hospital ER.

The threesome made their way down to the kitchen where Neal began the painful process of preparing breakfast for his daughter. Liam was overdue for a bottle but Neal couldn't get him to open his eyes long enough so he placed him in his swing and cranked the handle, watching as his body began to move to and fro, his little head drooping to one side.

Neal reached into the kitchen cupboard and grabbed some aspirin for his headache and when he turned around, Hope was standing there with a glass of juice in her hand.

'Here Daddy' she said as she offered it to him 'When I was sick, I didn't feel like eating'

Neal smiled at his daughter as he reached out to take the glass from her hand.

'Thanks, sweet pea' he said as he grabbed her nose and tugged gently

WCWCWC

By 9:30, Sara made an appearance downstairs just as Neal was getting cozy on the couch in the family room. He watched as she ambled in, unsteady on her feet as if she were hung over, something Neal had witnessed on a couple of occasions in their married life.

'Hey you!' he called out, startling her and watching as she turned to face him

Her face, which had a few small cuts from the flying glass, was slightly swollen and there was a most unattractive bruise on her left cheek that was now turning a nasty shade of blue. She held her stomach and tiptoed over to where he sat on the couch, the kids nearby.

'I want to say you look like hell' she began before frowning as she looked over towards Hope who's ears had perked up 'but I have a feeling I look worse'

Neal laughed softly and stood to meet her halfway.

'Here, sit. I'll get you some coffee' he said, pulling her towards the nearby couch

'I can get it!' Hope said as she stood, bouncy and full of life

Neal and Sara exchanged looks as they both headed back to the couch to sit and wait.

'Don't fill it up too much!' Sara admonished as they watched their five-year-old make her way to the coffee maker and pour a cupful of Italian Roast into Sara's favorite mug

'How much milk?' she asked

'No milk this morning, honey, just black' Sara answered from the couch

They watched as Hope walked slowly towards them, the cup of coffee teetering in her small hands.

There was a knock at the door – considering all their friends and family were out of town, they looked at each other quizzically and Neal stood to see who the visitor was.

'Charlie, hi!' Neal said in greeting as he opened the door and invited the man in

He looked expectantly at his neighbor; could he be delivering the good news that Neal had won the home decorating contest?

'We missed you last night at the party but I hear you've got your hands full with the kids being sick' Charlie Stevens said as he stood on the stoop 'I remember one year when the kids were little, we all got the flu and we spent Christmas day in bed watching movies'

Neal smiled politely, wishing Charlie would get to the point; he was the chatty neighbor, the one you tried to duck from whenever you were in a hurry.

'Anyway, I can see you're not feeling great yourself. I just wanted to drop by some leftovers from the party last night – Myrtle's world famous fruitcake...' he said as he handed Neal a container of food

Neal _hated_ fruitcake but he smiled gratefully nonetheless.

'Oh, and you won second prize in the contest so here's a gift certificate from Home Depot' he said as Neal's smile returned

'Let me guess' he said, sounding defeated 'Jeff again?'

'Afraid so' Charlie said 'That Santa he set up on his roof put him right over the top...'

Damn Jeff Mason! He was Neal's closest friend on the street but he was also his fiercest competitor and he always seemed to edge Neal out at the last minute. Neal would never hear the end of it when Jeff finally made it back from Florida next week.

He took the gift certificate from Charlie's hand and shivered, hoping the older man would take the hint.

'Anyway, if you need anything, let us know' Charlie said as he put his gloves back on, preparing to leave 'Myrtle and I are right next door and we're glad to help in any way we can. And don't worry, if it snows again, I'll come over with the snowblower...'

'Thanks Charlie' Neal said sincerely as he opened the door to let the man out 'You two have a Merry Christmas now!'

He walked back to the back of the house and stood between the kitchen and family room as Sara glanced up.

'Let me guess, more of Myrtle's fruitcake?' she said, unimpressed

'Well, at least we won't go hungry if I don't make it to the grocery store' Neal said as he moved to the kitchen to put the gift in the freezer

'I think I'd rather go hungry' Sara said, rather unkindly as she let her head drop on the couch

WCWCWC

It was a beautiful sunny day and after lunch, Hope asked if she could go play outside in the snow - another sure sign she was on the mend. Neal and Sara watched from the family room as their daughter pranced around the backyard making snow angels and attempting to build a snowman - which turned out looking more like a heap of snow with a hat on top and a carrot sticking out of its side.

'She's having a great time' Neal said as he stood by the patio door watching his daughter

'Hey you!' Sara said, her voice sleepy 'Come here!'

Neal made his way over to where his wife sat on the couch and she patted her lap in an invitation for him to lay his head down.

'Awwww!' Neal purred as he settled on the couch with Sara running her hands through his hair 'That feels _so_ good'

'You've been so busy taking care of everybody else' Sara said, her eyes fluttering shut 'but who's taking care of _you_?'

'You are' Neal moaned, his voice rough as he wrapped his arm snugly around her hips

'So much for trying to catch up on some alone time, huh?' Sara said with a note of disappointment

'Ah, we'll get there - eventually' Neal answered philosophically just as the patio door opened and Hope stuck her head in

'Can I have some hot chocolate?' she asked

After dinner, Neal was still feeling rough and Hope, who was clearly on the mend, coaxed her dad down to the studio for an hour or so. He'd been working on a painting for Sara's collection - this time, a painting of him and Liam which she had 'commissioned' a few weeks before. He still wanted to get her a nice piece of jewelry for Christmas Day and he hoped he would be well enough to hit the store on Monday, his last chance before the big day.

He thought of all the gift wrapping they had to do – a chore he usually left up to his wife – and he bristled at the thought. She'd probably need help with that this year and he was all thumbs when it came to that task.

Sara had slept a good part of the day and by dinner time, she'd already been looking a little more chipper and she'd actually eaten a small portion of the lasagna Neal had thawed and reheated.

Liam, however, had become their primary concern. He'd been listless since early morning, was running a fever which hovered just above 101 and he'd refused to drink all day, preferring to sleep restlessly _wherever_ they put him down. His cheeks were flushed and he had a hacking cough that was most disconcerting and seemed to be getting worse as the day wore on. Even his newfound love of rice cereal hadn't been enough to convince him to ingest anything and by 10:00 on Sunday night, Neal sat in front of his laptop at the kitchen table researching flu symptoms in infants and getting increasingly worried.

'It says here, dehydration is the main concern...' he said to Sara who sat nearby, nursing a cup of tea '...and a baby with a fever of more than 101 should be seen by a doctor'

Sara looked down at Liam who was lying next to her on the couch and gently touched his hand as he twitched and began to cough again.

'His skin is clammy. His cough is getting worse, Neal' she said with concern

'We haven't had to change his diaper since noon' Neal said, worried 'Do you want to try nursing him again?'

Sara picked Liam up and tucked him into her arms, bringing him to her breast and wincing as the pain in her ribs flared up.

'Liam' she said softly 'come on baby, have something to drink...please'

He opened his eyes, letting out a wet cough and Neal and Sara exchanged worried looks.

'I think we should have him looked at' Neal said

The last thing they needed was another visit to the hospital a mere twenty four hours after their marathon from the night before. Sara looked at her husband, her eyes worried and shrugged.

'Look, you go to bed and get some rest and I'll take him over' Neal said as he leaned in to take their son from his mom's arms

He looked into Sara's eyes, noting the tears forming and he kissed her forehead.

'It's the flu, Sara, that's all. They'll give us something to bring his fever down and we'll just keep him comfortable until he feels better. It'll be okay, you'll see' he said not sure he believed his own words.

They worked together to put Liam into his snowsuit as he lay there sleeping and within minutes, Neal was out the door, carrying their son as Sara watched, worry etched on her distorted face.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

By the time Neal returned to the pretty little house on Meadowbrook Street it was 1:45 on Monday morning, Christmas Eve. He was surprised to see the glow from the Christmas tree lights shining through the living room curtains of the house; they never left the lights on when they weren't nearby and he wondered if Sara had decided to wait up despite the late hour.

He was feeling reassured following his latest visit to the hospital, knowing that Liam would be fine in another day or so if they followed the doctor's advice to keep him well hydrated and continued to carefully monitor his fever. He, himself, was feeling marginally better, his fever finally receding although he was exhausted from the long hours and lack of sleep.

Soft snow fell on what was a much milder night and Neal lifted his sleeping son from his car seat and carried him in – it was a perfect Christmas Eve landscape and Neal took a moment to enjoy the quiet, muted scene as he stepped into the house.

'What are you still doing up?' he asked as he spied Sara on the floor by the Christmas tree 'I thought you'd be sound asleep'

Sara sat, surrounded by an array of wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons, tape, stockings, boxes and packages and she had a pile of wrapped gifts off to one side. She stood to welcome her boys home as they walked into the house, rushing to take Liam from Neal's arms so he could get his coat and boots off.

'I slept for a little while but then... I just thought I'd start on all the gift wrapping' she answered, a frown on her face 'So? How did it go?'

'It's all good' Neal whispered as he kissed her forehead and reached out to take Liam back into his arms 'Why don't I get him settled and I'll meet you upstairs?'

Sara nodded, relaxing at Neal's response. She kissed her son goodnight and watched as he opened his eyes briefly and smiled at his mom, something he hadn't done much in the last few days. She tucked the unwrapped gifts away from prying eyes and made her way upstairs, settling into the cozy bed to wait for Neal. She could hear his reassuring voice as he spoke to Liam in the room across the hall from their bedroom, the spoken words effortlessly morphing to soft singing and within moments, Neal appeared in the doorway to their bedroom, looking totally done in. She watched as he began to undress, his shoulders slumped in a way she wasn't used to seeing, obviously exhausted from having spent hours waiting in the emergency room for the second night in a row.

'Hey' she said softly as she opened up her arms to him

He settled onto the bed next to her, his head resting on her chest and he wrapped his arms lovingly around her waist.

'Ow' Sara moaned as Neal pulled her in a little too tight

'Sorry, sorry, sorry...' he said, cringing, as he pulled back and let her position his arm on the least painful part of her stomach, somewhere between her bruised ribs and the large contusion that encircled her hips

'Better?' he asked, not daring to move as he felt her nod against him

He curled up against his wife, feeling the comforting warmth of her arms as she began placing soothing kisses on the top of his head, her hand running lovingly up and down his arm

'Are _you_ okay?' she asked, concern obvious in her voice

'I'll be fine. Just feeling a little rough, that's all' he said as all the worry of the last few hours began to fade at her touch

'So, tell me' she asked, anxious to hear the details of the hospital visit

'Well, it's the flu; he probably got it from Hope. He was really dehydrated so they put him on an IV drip for about an hour...' he began as Sara let out a gasp

'Honey, it's no big deal. Dr. Williams said they sometimes have to do that with babies his age. She gave me some Pedialyte which we need to give him for the next twenty four hours until he'd taking in his usual levels of milk and she prescribed something for his fever. Oh, and she says hi and asked how you were feeling?' he added

He could feel Sara smiling against him, relieved at the prognosis for their little guy.

'So, we need to check on him in a couple of hours and get him to drink something' he added as he nuzzled against her, purring

They hadn't had more than five minutes alone in the last three days and their usual cuddle time had been highjacked by sick kids and other unexpected – and unwelcome – circumstances.

'Peter called while you were out' she said quietly 'He wants you to call him tomorrow'

'Oh yeah?' Neal said 'How are they doing?'

'Well, he was complaining about the noise in his parents' house with his sisters' kids running around and he said he envied us for having a nice quiet Christmas' Sara said, irony dripping from her voice

Neal laughed softly; if only Peter knew that their run up to Christmas had been anything but calm and relaxing. The room grew quiet as the young couple enjoyed the warmth and comfort of their bodies wrapped around each other.

'It's Christmas Eve...' Sara spoke softly, her voice faraway

'Yeah...' Neal whispered back 'I need to go out later and run a few errands. I want to pick up a couple of things and we need to get the food situation sorted out if we want something more than a can of beans for Christmas dinner'

'Well, don't push yourself. The kids would be happy with a can of beans as long as we get those Christmas presents under the tree' Sara said with a soft laugh

Neal grew quiet and Sara could feel him tensing up.

'What's the matter, sweetie?' she asked

'Aww, it's nothing...' he said before deciding to come clean. There was no use trying to keep anything from his wife any more, not after everything they'd gone through over the past year. 'It's just that Hope was talking about _last_ Christmas and I couldn't remember much of what she was talking about'

Sara sighed. This was a recurring thing with Neal as he slowly struggled to put the pieces of their lives from the past five years back together. The memories were still coming at odd, unexpected moments - sometimes when he heard a song on the radio or when he tasted something vaguely familiar or whenever Hope or Sara mentioned an incident in passing that shook something loose in his subconscious. But it was never enough for Neal who continued to lament the fact that there were still some holes in his recollections. She felt him turn his head and look towards their chest of drawers, his eyes moving to the sculpture he'd given her as a gift the previous Christmas. She'd seen him over the past few months, holding the object, running his hands over it, trying to recall the feeling he must have had as he molded the clay into the beautiful carving of his then pregnant wife.

'Neal, it is what it is. You have to stop beating yourself up about it' she whispered lovingly

'I just wish I remembered making it for you. I know how excited we both were...' he began his voice trailing

'Then just focus on that feeling. You know what Allison says, feelings are often what triggers the memory' she added softly

Allison Grant was Neal's therapist at the Brain Injury Clinic and she'd helped him through the first few horrible months following his accident, helping him navigate the confusion and frustration as he struggled to remember his life as a married man and a father to Hope. He still had sessions with her every six weeks as issues continued to crop up; she'd been a godsend and Neal had been anxious lately, knowing she would be going on maternity leave in a couple of months.

'Oh, I meant to ask you' he said, trying to navigate away from the painful subject 'I had a dream last night. It was Hope's first day of school and we watched her get on the bus with Olivia. Jeff and Donna were there, too... We followed the school bus and we parked and watched as she got off. She was holding Olivia's hand...' he added, his voice slow and his words purposeful as he recalled the vivid dream and hoped, as he did each time, that it was an actual memory and not some random dream.

'Yes!' Sara said, pulling him tighter, thrilled as always whenever he recovered a new memory 'That's exactly what happened'

She was used to it by now – Neal would run his dreams by her and her job was to let him know if what he'd dreamed had actually happened. Neal always got excited whenever a new memory was recovered and he would tuck it away preciously in his conscious mind, nurturing it lovingly, keeping it alive, playing it over and over again in his mind until he felt that he'd truly absorbed it, vowing to never let it go.

'... And then... you and I stopped at the drugstore...' he continued seemingly in a trance, although the relevance of this part of the dream seemed unclear to him

Sara waited, not wanting to prompt him into remembering more until it was absolutely necessary.

Suddenly, Neal lifted his head excitedly and looked at his wife.

'That was the morning we found out you were pregnant' he said as the memory flooded back

'You were so excited...' she said with a warm smile

'I sat on the edge of the tub and you sat on the toilet with that pee stick in your hand, just staring...' he continued his voice faraway, as it always was as he relived the events his body knew so well but his mind had momentarily forgotten

He put his head back down and Sara could feel him smiling against her. She could feel him relax and she closed her eyes, feeling sleep invade her. One step at a time, they would get there, together.

Within seconds, they were both sound asleep.

WCWCWC

By 8:00, Sara and Hope were up, making plans for Christmas Eve dinner and discussing what should be left out for Santa that night: sugar cookies or a piece of the pie Neal had made. They were debating the subject vigorously when the phone rang and Sara got up to answer.

'Is this Sara Ellis?' the man asked

'Yes it is' she answered

'I'm with the Rogers and Sons wrecking yard, ma'am' he began as Sara cringed at the word 'ma'am' which she hated with a passion 'we've got some of your personal belongings here which were left in your car on Saturday'

'Oh, my God' Sara said as Hope looked up at her mom 'I completely forgot I had left stuff in the car'

'We're open today until five if you want to come down and pick everything up' he added before hanging up

Sara had been on her way home when the accident happened and she'd left all her purchases behind including a gift for Neal and Hope's coveted sing along microphone as well as various items for everybody's Christmas stockings.

Despite still feeling sore and achy, her mind was clear at last and she began to think ahead to what needed to be done to make this a memorable Christmas for the four of them. Liam was looking much better; she'd been up to nurse him twice during the night and his fever had finally gone down, leaving him more alert. Neal, however, had been dead to world when she'd gotten up and she continued to be worried about him. He always put everybody else's needs ahead of his own and she wanted him to get some well deserved rest before he headed out to run those last minute errands.

'Honey' Sara said as she turned to Hope 'Didn't you say Donna orders her groceries on line?'

Hope nodded. She'd been along for the ride once when Donna had picked up her groceries from a local market.

'Do you remember what store it was?' Sara asked as she began poking around on the nearby laptop

'It's the one near the soccer field' Hope said as Sara clued in and began typing away

Short cuts were the order of the day if they were going to make it to Christmas Day at the same time as the rest of the world.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The sight that greeted Neal Caffrey as he came down the stairs of his home on Christmas Eve morning warmed the cockles of his heart. He watched from the staircase as his daughter sat in their living room, at the foot of the brightly lit tree, looking through the basket of Christmas books - no doubt searching for her favorite one, which Neal knew was 'Little Bear's Christmas'. He stood motionless and watched in silence, a quiet and content Liam in his arms, as Hope began to turn the pages, reading the words out loud, stumbling at times as she struggled to remember the story from memory. After all, that basket only made an appearance once a year, right around the time they put up the Christmas tree, and after the holidays, it was lovingly secreted away until the following December - which made its contents all the more precious.

Neal had very _few_ happy childhood memories related to the holidays. After he had gone into witness protection with his mom and Ellen at the tender age of three, the women had tried to make the holidays special but he realized, now, that they had both been struggling with their inner demons and try as they might, the holiday season was always bittersweet. In hindsight, he realized how difficult it must have been for his mom to face Christmas alone, constantly reliving her husband's deceit and eventual abandonment. As far as Ellen was concerned, she'd had her life totally highjacked and she too had found the holiday season difficult; it was a constant reminder that she would never have what she'd always dreamed of: a 'normal' life with a husband and children of her own. Despite her heartbreak, Ellen had always tried to rise to the occasion for Neal's sake but the circumstances were so painful that her efforts always seemed to fall just short of the mark.

Sara, on the other hand, had been exposed to some lovely traditions growing up and she'd found a way to bring some of them into their new family - the Christmas basket was one of those traditions. Every year, Sara would give Hope a special Christmas book, a beautifully illustrated hard cover, in which she would lovingly inscribe the year and her fondest wishes for her daughter, right on the inside cover. In the Ellis-Caffrey household, that was the _only_ gift that could be opened on Christmas Eve and tradition dictated that after Hope got into her pajamas and got Santa's snack ready, she would open the precious gift and carry it up to bed with her to look at as she prepared to fall asleep. The new book would then join the others in the beautifully decorated wicker basket which was eventually tucked away until the following year when another new treasure would be added.

Neal stood, mesmerized, as he thought ahead to the coming years, imagining how the basket would eventually be full to overflowing with beautiful books as the years passed. This year, for the first time, there were _two_ books under the tree, including one for their son, in order to mark his very first Christmas.

Liam made a gurgling sound in Neal's arms as he gently tapped his dad's face to get his attention and Neal tickled him and nuzzled him, eliciting a small giggle. They continued down the stairs, watching as Hope momentarily put down the book she'd been reading and moved on to the gifts under the tree, picking one up and shaking it just as her dad came into view.

'Hey, no peeking at gifts before Christmas' Neal warned

'I think this one is a board game' she said, undeterred, as she continued to shake to her heart's content

'You won't have any surprises left for tomorrow if you keep rattling those things' he admonished as he made his way over to where she sat, placing Liam between her outstretched legs so he could sit up against her chest

'Liam' she said as she placed her tiny arms around her brother 'I'm going to read you a story'

Neal watched the interaction fondly. Hope was a very responsible and loving big sister; she looked out for her baby brother and enjoyed making him laugh by tickling his toes and blowing raspberries on his tummy whenever she helped her mom or dad change his diaper.

'Don't forget to support his back' Neal reminded her

She gave him a 'I _do_ know how to hold a six-month old' look and placed a kiss on the top of Liam's head as he reached out to grab the book, cooing happily.

'If he fusses, call me' Neal said as he stood to make his way to the kitchen

'... and don't try to lift him' he said, reminding her of the cardinal rule

He walked away in search of his wife who could be heard rattling around in the kitchen.

'Good morning' he said, finding her hunched over the kitchen counter, checking a list.

She looked up to greet him and his eyes were drawn to the bruise on her face which was dark and brooding and looked very, very sore.

'Oooh' he said, standing in front of her and wincing in sympathy as he gently reached out to touch her face 'That looks even worse than yesterday'

'Actually, it's at that stage where it looks worse than it feels' she said, looking up into his eyes

'How about you? How are _you_ feeling?' she asked, noticing Neal looking a lot more chipper

'Better, I'm definitely over the worst of it. I wouldn't run a marathon but...' he said as he carefully placed his arms around Sara's waist, trying to avoid the sore spots

'Thank God it's just a 48 hour thing, huh?' she said as she let him snuggle a little closer

'Is Liam up?' she asked as Neal brought his lips to her neck, in search of a nuzzle

'Huh, huh' he answered absentmindedly continuing on his search for a little physical intimacy – something which had been sorely lacking between them the last few days

Sara attempted to pull away from his insistent mouth, obviously looking for a little more information and Neal relented momentarily, his arms still firmly holding her against his grateful body.

'He's good, I just checked his temperature and his fever's down. His eyes look a little droopy but he was smiling when I changed his diaper' he said, immediately returning to her neck

'Neal!' she said, hoping to keep his attention for more than a fleeting second

He pulled away a second time, looking into her face. 'You're really _not_ into this, are you?' he sighed loudly, obviously disappointed

'We have a million things to do today' she reminded him as he finally let her out of his grasp and moved towards the kitchen counter to grab a cup of coffee

'I'd left a bunch of stuff in the car and the wrecking yard called and said we could pick it up...and... ' she added, with a look of smug satisfaction '... I ordered groceries on line. All you have to do is drive up and pick them up; they even carry everything out to the car for you'

'Wow!' Neal said in mock admiration 'You _have_ been busy this morning'

The smile she gave him melted into a frown as the pain in her face flared up, reminding her of the lingering bruise.

'Daddy! Liam's squirming' Hope shouted from the front of the house

'Break's over!' Neal said as he gave Sara a peck and went off to his daughter's rescue

WCWCWC

It was a beautiful winter day, sunny and warm - once the heater in the car got going. Neal sat at the wheel, searching for an address in this unfamiliar part of town where warehouses and garages lined the streets of an industrial park. He squinted against the bright sun as he continued to search for his destination.

'Look for an 'R' Neal instructed Hope who sat in the backseat, looking around

'Is that it?' she asked, spotting a large sign off in the distance

'Good eye!' Neal said as he got closer, noticing the sign for 'Rogers and Sons Wrecking Yard'

They pulled into the huge yard, noticing heaps and heaps of scrap metal and demolished cars, most of which were probably not even paid for, Neal thought, as he parked and made his way to help Hope out of her booster seat. By the time they returned, they were carrying several large bags containing Sara's purchases from the previous Saturday. At first glance, the items seemed intact and appeared to have been spared the worst of the crash – Sara had likely placed everything in the back seat and not the trunk of the car. Neal positioned the bags alongside Hope in the back seat and made his way back behind the wheel on to their next destination.

'What's this?' Hope asked as Neal spied her in the rear view mirror rummaging through the bags

'Hey, stop that!' he said as he turned to see what was in her hand 'There could be stuff in there for _you!_ '

She handed him a beautifully bound book, dark blue with a photograph of a tree's silhouette against a beautiful sunset. On the cover, the words 'Dream Journal' were inscribed in beautiful lettering; Neal smiled at the sight of it. No doubt a gift destined for him from his thoughtful wife. He handed it back to his daughter to be returned to its hiding place.

'Now stop snooping Hope or you won't have any surprises left' he said as he prepared to drive away

Ever since she was old enough to understand the whole 'Santa' thing, Neal and Sara had elected to tell their daughter that parents gave their children gifts at Christmastime and that Santa went around the world with _one_ special gift for each deserving boy and girl. Growing up, Neal had never understood why Santa showered some of his friends with dozens of gifts while _he_ only got one offering. He remembered wondering why Santa would treat children differently and he'd decided he didn't want his kids to have such a biased view of the world.

'Do you want to call Uncle Peter?' he asked, remembering he owed his best friend a return call

He could see her smiling back at him in the rear view mirror; he called up Peter's cell phone number on his Bluetooth as he slowly made his way back towards their end of town.

'Hello' came Peter's voice although he could hardly be heard with all the background noise

'Peter!' Neal said loudly, hoping to be heard

'Just a minute, Neal. I'll try to find a quiet place to talk' Peter answered

Neal could hear him moving around, the noise finally beginning to fade in the background and he heard a door close as Peter came back on the line.

'You have no idea how lucky you are to be home having a nice, _quiet_ Christmas' he said into the phone 'This place is crazy'

Neal smiled at Peter's comment – if he only knew.

'Mommy had a car accident!' Hope yelled out from the back seat as Neal gave her a reproachful look

'Is that true?' Peter asked, suddenly concerned

'It's fine, Peter. It was a... fender bender...' Neal fibbed as he tried to downplay the incident

'And I threw up on Daddy's shoes and Liam had to go to the hospital' Hope continued as Neal glared at her in the rear view mirror

'What? What's going on over there?' Peter asked, worry apparent in his voice

'It's fine, really' Neal said 'The kids got the flu, that's all'

'Sounds like you've got your hands full' Peter said

'Well, we're looking forward to a nice, quiet Christmas Day, aren't we, Hope?' Neal said, prodding her to say at least one positive thing

She nodded enthusiastically from the back seat.

'So how are things in Northern New York State?' Neal asked

'Crazy! My sister's kids are driving me nuts. But on the bright side, my mom made her famous lemon bars and my dad's taking us all out in the horse and buggy tonight to midnight mass in the village'

'Sounds very...folksy' Neal answered as he rolled his eyes

'Yeah...it's nice' Peter admitted 'But we miss you guys'

'We miss you too' Neal said – Peter had no idea just how much

'So listen, El wanted me to remind you that she's catering that big party at the Westin on New Year's Eve. You're coming with us, right?' he asked, excitement in his voice

'I'll talk to Sara about it and see if we can line up a sitter' Neal answered as Hope frowned in the back seat 'I think Mozzie might be back by then'

'Good! We're really looking forward to ringing in the New Year with you guys' Peter said

'Well, give our love to El and call when you get back' Neal said before hanging up

He grew quiet for a moment, thinking about the past few Christmases shared with the Burkes and he shook off the nostalgia, smiling as he realized he was surrounded by his beautiful wife and wonderful children.

'Do you want to help me pick out a gift for Mommy?' he asked his daughter who had grown quiet in the back seat

Her eyes lit up at the suggestion and Neal pointed the car in the direction of their local mall.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

'Which one do _you_ think Mommy would like best?' Neal asked as they stood in front of the jewelry case, staring down at two very different bracelets

'This one...' Hope said without hesitation

'Oh, yeah?' Neal said as he continued to study the two front runners, a wider, bolder sterling silver bracelet and a more delicate, ornate one

Hope nodded, adamant '...because she pointed to one that was almost like it in a magazine and she said 'if Daddy asks you, _this_ is what I want'

Neal rolled his eyes; it was just like Sara to have Hope act as intermediary in her quest for the perfect Christmas gift. Just for that, he should go with the other one, Neal thought deviously.

'But then, she said 'Daddy always picks the _perfect_ gift' Hope continued as Neal's scowl turned into a smile

He _did_ know his wife's tastes inside and out and, truth be told, he thought she looked amazing in anything. He decided to go with his instincts; after all, he'd been buying her _perfect_ gifts for the past several years now.

Hope's eyes wandered to the showcase next to it and Neal could see her gaze lingering on a charm bracelet which sat in a section dedicated to children's jewelry.

' _That's_ pretty, huh?' he said, pointing to the one that Hope's eyes were glued to

He could see the look in his daughter's eyes as she lingered on the many charms nearby. Hope nodded, her eyes bright.

'All right, I'm going to go pay for this. Do you want to go get an ice cream?' he asked, pointing to the concession stand which was located right outside the store

Hope had been bugging him for an ice cream cone since they'd first arrived at the mall an hour earlier and suddenly her gaze moved from the jewelry case to her dad as she nodded enthusiastically. Neal reached into his pocket and handed his daughter a couple of dollars.

'Now stay where I can see you and I'll be right out' he said as he watched her step outside and line up for her treat

With a knowing smile, Neal made his way to the cash register to pay for his purchases.

WCWCWC

Sara sat in the rocking chair in Liam's room and glanced out the window at the beautiful winter day, the snow glistening under the bright sunshine. Her eyes returned to her son, who lay calmly in her arms, nursing and cooing. Every few seconds, he would pull away from her breast and stare lovingly into his mom's eyes, responding to her soft voice and warm glances. She let out a long, satisfied sigh as she gazed into her little boy's bright green eyes.

What a journey it had been to finally have him here, safe in her arms. Following her cancer surgery four years earlier, Dr. Cooper had warned her that the odds of getting pregnant with just one functioning ovary and the lingering effects of chemotherapy were slim but Neal had never given up on them and now, they were celebrating their first Christmas with their little boy, following a particularly rough year for both of them.

Neal's accident the previous winter had left repercussions that would likely linger for years to come and after Liam's birth, Sara had reacted in a most unexpected way as she'd struggled with a bout of post-partum depression. She'd become depressed and unresponsive, not understanding how the unbridled joy she'd felt at the anticipation of Liam's arrival had dissipated and become apathy now that the baby they had waited so long to welcome into their family was finally here.

Neal had been amazing throughout those difficult weeks, seeing the signs of Sara's struggle early on and insisting she get the help she needed to overcome those unexpected and unwelcome feelings of depression and lethargy. Now, the whole thing was a distant and painful memory as she gazed down at her son, the apple of her eye.

Liam was a sweet, agreeable baby, his temperament so different from that of his sister's - who'd shown signs of her strong, feisty personality from the moment she'd been born. Now that those painfully difficult months were behind them, Sara looked ahead to the coming year with optimism. Her life had become so much more than she could ever have imagined and every day she woke with a renewed sense of wonderment as she thought ahead to the future she was lucky enough to share with Neal and their wonderful children.

'Oww' she said suddenly as she felt the sharp teeth biting into her breast

Liam looked up with a sly smile, unsure _what_ his mom was reacting to...

WCWCWC

'I'm surprised you're eating that burger after you demolished a whole ice cream cone' Neal said as he sat across from his daughter in the mall's food court

The lively crowd bustled around them noisily as the father/daughter duo shared a late lunch.

Hope continued to tuck into her meal with gusto, perhaps making up for the fact that she'd been under the weather for a few days and hadn't had much of an appetite.

'So, what did you and Mommy decide to leave out for Santa tonight?' Neal asked as he nibbled on a French fry.

'The pie' she said, between bites 'Santa gets a lot of sugar cookies on Christmas Eve'

Neal nodded knowingly.

'Daddy?' Hope said suddenly as her look turned serious 'Does Santa Claus really exist?'

The question threw Neal for a loop and he watched as Hope scrutinized his face, waiting for an honest response to the existential question. If there was ever a time to dust off his old Caffrey deflection skills, this was definitely it.

'What do _you_ think, sweet pea?' he responded, going the safe route

Hope's face scrunched up as she prepared to respond; she'd obviously been giving the matter a lot of thought.

'It just doesn't make sense that he could go all over the world in just one night' she said thoughtfully

Neal watched her face, seeing the internal struggle drawn on her features; her logical mind was trying to make sense of something that her child's heart wasn't quite prepared to let go of. He'd known the day was coming when she would begin to question the Santa legend, he'd just hoped it would be later rather than sooner; he himself wasn't quite ready to let go of the look of wonder he saw in his daughter's eyes every Christmas morning.

'Well, there are some things in life that are hard to understand... or to explain' he added, not a lie exactly, just another great deflection

She studied his face; according to Hope, her daddy knew everything there was to know about life, without exception. For the time being, it seemed to be enough of an answer and Neal watched as her eyes returned to her hamburger.

He looked down at his own lunch and let out a quiet sigh of relief, realizing he'd just dodged a bullet.

WCWCWC

By the time Neal and Hope made it back home, it was already mid-afternoon. The gifts had been bought, the errands run, the grocery order picked up and Neal was looking forward to not having to leave the house again until Boxing Day. If they'd forgotten something, so be it - they would just have to make do. The last few days had been exhausting and after running around for the past few hours, he was looking forward to sitting down quietly with Sara and the kids and watching what was turning into the traditional Christmas Eve viewing of the movie 'Elf' which they all thought was hysterical - and heart warming.

He and Hope traipsed into the quiet house, carrying their purchases as well as the groceries and the packages they'd recovered from the wrecking yard.

'Hey, you two!' Sara said as she looked up from the kitchen sink where she stood, hands immersed in soapy dishwater

Neal grinned as he placed the grocery bags on the kitchen table; no matter how long he was married to her, he could never get used to the sight of Sara Ellis doing menial housework.

'Hey yourself' he answered as he leaned in to kiss her hello

'Wow, you've been busy!' she exclaimed as she wiped her hands and began snooping around the various parcels Neal and Hope had carried in

'Hey, hey, hey!' Neal warned 'Don't you go snooping in there!'

Sara smiled at her husband, giving him an expectant eyebrow raise as he quickly swooped in to remove some of the incriminating shopping bags, as far away as possible from her prying eyes. Hope walked over to where her mom stood and put her arms around her hips as Sara winced at the dull pain the hug elicited. But complaining about the discomfort was the furthest thing from her mind; Hope's hugs were reserved for special occasions or moments when she was scared or sad... or tired which she seemed to be at the moment.

'Someone's tired' Sara said as she hugged her daughter back

Hope just nodded in response.

'I'm going to go read in my room' she announced, feeling the need for a little down time

She trudged back towards the front of the house and headed upstairs, leaving her parents behind to finish the tidying up.

WCWCWC

Hope lay on her bed, a stack of books by her side as she glanced at them one by one, her eyes beginning to droop. Although she'd recovered from her bout with the flu, the 48 hour bug had taken its toll on her and she wanted to be in tip-top shape for Christmas Day, her most favorite day of the year.

She reached over, lazily grabbing the Christmas wish list she kept by her bedside and she began looking over the long list of things she had asked for in her letter to Santa. Her eyes were drawn to the much shorter list at the bottom of the page which was the list of presents _she_ was giving to her friends and family. There was the tie her mom had helped her pick out for her dad, the book her dad had helped her buy for her mom, the jewelry making kit she'd gotten for Olivia, the gifts for her Auntie Elizabeth and Uncle Peter and of course for Uncle Mozzie and Grandma June who would all be coming over on New Year's Day for dinner.

Suddenly, it hit her.

She hadn't gotten anything for Liam. Granted, he was little and didn't know Christmas Day from the Fourth of July but still, she wanted to give her baby brother _something_ for Christmas. She lay on her back, looking around at all her worldly possessions scattered around the room. Her eyes were drawn to a few of the stuffed animals she'd gotten over the years – items she was now _much_ too old to play with. There was the tiger she'd gotten when they'd gone to the zoo when she was three and the teddy bear her Grandma June had given her for her second birthday... her eyes stopped on the pink elephant which had always been a favorite of hers. Her uncle Peter had given it to her years ago – she couldn't quite remember the occasion. That would be a perfect gift for her little brother, she thought. Liam always pointed to it when he played with her on her bed.

She smiled a smile of pure self satisfaction and she stood, intent on carrying out the task of getting it down from the top shelf of her bookcase.

WCWCWC

'Here, I'll finish those' Neal said as Sara prepared to return to the few dishes that sat in soapy water in the sink

She smiled and carried on with the task of putting away the groceries Neal had come home with. Liam sat nearby in his highchair, happily playing with the toys littered on the table in front of him. He was happier than he'd been in days and Neal reached over to turn on some Christmas music on the CD player nearby as he made his way over to the sink.

'So, how did you like driving up and having the grocery order ready to go?' she asked as she studied the produce which had been chosen for them

'It's a time saver, that's for sure' Neal agreed 'I kind of like choosing my own stuff though'

He began the job of washing the few remaining dishes, rinsing them off and placing them on the dish rack nearby, singing softly as a Christmas favorite could be heard in the background.

'It's the most wonderful time of -' he began as he winked at his wife and began swaying in time to the music

'Shit!' he said loudly, interrupting himself

Sara turned to see what the problem was and just as she noticed the water in the sink beginning to turn pink, there came a thunderous noise from the second floor of the house.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

'Caffrey?' the nurse called out as she stood expectantly in the doorway to the ER waiting room

Sara and Neal exchanged glances as the woman checked the clipboard she was carrying.

' _Hope_ Caffrey' she repeated

Sara made a move to stand and was preparing to put Liam back in his car seat when Neal put his hand out to keep her from getting up.

'It's okay, I've got it' he said, standing and turning towards the wheelchair the nursing staff had placed their daughter in when they'd first arrived

The nurse took one look at Neal's predicament and walked over, grabbing the chair as she began pushing it towards the examination rooms at the back of the ER.

'You're lucky' she said, tongue in cheek, as Neal gave a weak smile and followed her out of the room 'we're having a two-for-one sale today'

The trio made its way down the now familiar hallway, back to the large examination area where beds were lined up, surrounding a work station where a number of doctors and other medical staff worked diligently, ordering tests, filling out forms and generally seeing to the patients scattered around the room. Neal and Hope were brought into one of the small spaces and the woman prepared to pull the curtain to give them a little bit of privacy while they continued their wait.

'Someone will be right in' she said before leaving

Hope's whimpering had subsided somewhat since they'd arrived at the hospital, the pain medication they had given her seemingly working it's magic on her very sore foot.

'How do you feel _now_ , honey' Neal asked as he looked down at her – she seemed so tiny and helpless in that big chair

'Better' she moaned looking up at her daddy and noticing he was wincing back at her in pain

'I'm sorry' she added as she wiped her nose with her sleeve

'It was an accident, honey, it could have happened to anyone' he answered as he lifted his hand to show her the evidence of just that

His left hand, which had been swaddled in a towel when they'd first arrived had been wrapped in a makeshift dressing to keep him from bleeding all over the place while he waited to have it looked at.

'I thought I could reach it if I just climbed on the bottom shelf...' she repeated for the third time

They were definitely going to have to have a talk about safety and making poor decisions once the dust finally settled but _now_ was not the time. Neal watched his daughter's little face scrunch up as the pain shot through her foot once more. The sight of Hope lying on the ground with the bookcase precariously teetering on the bed beside her continued to haunt him; if the bed hadn't been there to break its fall and keep the shelf from tipping over all the way, it would have completely flattened her and heaven knows the damages _that_ might have caused.

She began to cry again and Neal pulled the chair he'd been sitting on a little closer as he wrapped his right arm tightly around her.

'It's okay, honey, it's okay' he said reassuringly, feeling his hand throbbing in the process

The curtain pulled back and a familiar face appeared.

'You've got to be kidding' said the woman

WCWCWC

Sara sat patiently in the waiting room, holding a content Liam on her knees – not that Sara Ellis _did_ 'patiently' all that well. The last hour had been harrowing as she'd tried to deal with two emergencies simultaneously. She had barely registered that Neal had somehow cut his hand in the dishwater when they'd both heard the horrible crashing sound coming from upstairs. She couldn't even remember her feet touching the ground as she'd run up the staircase towards Hope's room, unsure what she would find once she got there. She had sensed Neal right behind her, his long legs trying to catch up to her as he held a towel to his bleeding hand.

They could hear Hope sobbing as they'd gotten closer, the loud sound of her cries both reassuring and worrisome. By the time, they'd pulled her out from under the mess of books and knick knacks which had fallen on top of her and had finally managed to place her safely on the bed, it had become obvious that apart from being terrified, the damage she'd sustained was limited to her left foot which was already swelling under their careful touch.

Sara winced as she recalled glancing over at Neal who had completely soaked through the tea towel he had hastily grabbed on his way up the stairs. He seemed so focussed on Hope's predicament that he hadn't noticed he'd bled all the way through and was about to make a mess of epic proportions on his daughter's flowered duvet.

'Neal!' Sara had called out in warning as she stared down at his bleeding hand

She had walked over to the nearby linen closet and grabbed a towel to help stem the flow of blood which continued to gush from Neal's injured hand. By the time he'd let her scrutinize the damage more carefully, it had become obvious that he was going to need stitches. Upon examination, she saw that the cut to the palm of his hand, although not terribly large was quite deep and the offending knife had sliced through several layers of skin, exposing fatty tissue and bleeding abundantly despite the constant pressure she'd been exerting on the wound. Sara kept going back and forth between the two of them, fetching ice for Hope's foot which was already turning blue and making sure Neal didn't bleed out all over Hope's bed where he'd continued to sit at his daughter's side, watching over her.

At this point, despite the lingering pain from her own bumps and bruises, Sara had been the best equipped to deal with the situation and she'd managed to get everyone into the car and back to the hospital for the third day in a row.

Liam gurgled, bringing Sara back to reality and Sara glanced down at her smiling baby – at least someone in the family was feeling good.

WCWCWC

'You're really not going to be satisfied until you've all been admitted to this place, are you?' asked Dr. Karen Williams in jest 'Seriously? Three days in a row?'

'I could say the same about you' Neal said as he gritted his teeth in pain

'Well, I'm the junior doctor on the roster and I pulled the short straw for Christmas week, what's your excuse?' she said as she moved in to check on her young patient

'So, Hope Ellis-Caffrey' she said, thinking back to her first meeting with the precocious child 'What happened to you?'

Hope looked circumspectly at her dad; she was going to have to admit that she'd been careless and stupid and had been the one responsible for her own misfortune.

'I wanted to reach the pink elephant to give to Liam for Christmas...' she began, her voice quivering – clearly, she was going to give the doctor the whole sordid story

The doctor listened patiently as she lifted her off the chair and onto the gurney to better examine her.

'...so I climbed on the bottom shelf of the bookcase so I could reach it' Hope continued, looking at her dad 'but my mom and dad had told me I shouldn't do that...'

'But you thought you knew better?' Dr. Williams said as she began tentatively moving Hope's ankle to check for tenderness

Hope didn't seem to have any pain associated with the movement so the good doctor kept prodding as the child continued with the story.

'Yes' she said sheepishly as Neal looked on regretfully

'Well, I remember not always listening to my mom and dad either' Dr. Williams said 'but you know what' she continued, glancing at Neal 'they're usually right'

Hope looked from the doctor to her dad, noticing a sly smile on his face.

'Well, did you manage to reach the pink elephant?' the doctor asked kindly

'It kind of... well, everything came tumbling down on top of me' Hope admitted

'Well, you were very lucky that shelf didn't fall directly on you' said the doctor as she moved on to Hope's toes

'Oww!' Hope screamed as she got to her little toe

'Does it hurt anywhere else?' the young woman asked

Hope shook her head as Dr. Williams began to check her out from head to toe, making sure there were no hidden injuries or other bumps or bruises.

'Sweetie, we're going to take a picture of your toe but I'm pretty sure it's broken' she said as Hope's eyes grew to the size of saucers, her lower lip quivering

The curtain opened and one of the nurses appeared as if on cue to wheel Hope down to radiology. Neal made a move to follow and the doctor spoke up, urging him to remain seated.

'Hope, you go with Clarisse okay? I need to check your daddy's hand' she said as Hope looked over, rather uncertainly to where Neal sat looking forlorn

'It's okay' he said reassuringly as he reached over to kiss her forehead 'I'll wait right here for you'

He watched as Hope was wheeled out, trying to be brave and he wished he could go along for moral support but he realized it was his turn and he turned to face the young woman who had now directed her attention to him.

'I'm sure _this_ is going to be a good story, too' she said, tongue in cheek as she pointed to his hand

Neal rolled his eyes at her and smiled through the pain.

WCWCWC

By the time her husband and daughter emerged from the bowels of the ER, Sara had been pacing for a while with an increasingly fussy Liam in her arms. He was more than ready for a nap but the constant buzzing around the room was keeping him just on the edge of sleep as he continued to protest softly in her arms.

Hope appeared in the same wheelchair she'd gone in with but this time, Neal was pushing her along, his hand bandaged up nice and cleanly.

'Hey' Neal called out as he came into view 'Dr. Williams wants a word with you'

The foursome turned back down the hallway towards the examination rooms they'd just left as Sara looked quizzically at Neal.

'Her little toe is broken and I got four stitches' he answered to her unspoken question – giving her the Reader's Digest version of what had transpired. Until he could properly fill her in, it would have to do.

They arrived back to the small space Neal and Hope had just vacated to find Dr. Williams standing there, filling out the requisite forms following her assessment and treatment of the father/daughter duo.

'Hi' she said as Sara stepped in with Liam in her arms 'I thought I'd save you a return trip on Christmas Day and have a quick look at the baby... and you' she added good-naturedly as she looked at Sara

'He's looking a lot better today' Sara said as she placed Liam into the doctor's arms

The baby stilled and smiled as the woman cooed at him, gently placing him on the bed where moments before his big sister had been lying. Neal and Sara exchanged smiles at the gentle way the doctor was handling their young son – obviously not the first baby she'd had to deal with.

'Look at you...' she cooed '...smiling at me. You're feeling better, aren't you?'

She touched his cheeks, sensing the coolness under her hand.

'How's he drinking?' she asked

'Normally' Sara answered 'I just nursed him about ten minutes ago'

'He looks great – much better than last night' she added 'With babies, the turnaround time is short – and they don't tend to moan and groan like we do. When they start to feel better, they forget all about the aches and pains they had and they go right back to being their old, happy selves'

She turned to have a look at Sara as Neal moved in to take Liam from her.

'And what about you?' Dr. Williams asked as she examined the large bruise on Sara's face 'How are the headaches?'

'Gone' Sara admitted 'The worse is the bruising around my hips'

Dr. Williams lifted Sara's blouse gingerly as the rest of the family watched. She examined the bruises, declaring authoritatively that everything seemed to be healing as it should.

'You'll be feeling a lot better in a couple of days' she said as she made a few notes on the clipboard nearby

'Look, it's been great getting to know all of you' she said as she began to gather her things to leave 'and please don't take this personally – but I really don't want to see you in here tomorrow'

Everyone let out a small giggle – relief mostly at the realization that, despite a trying three days, everyone was getting a clean bill of health.

'Here's a prescription that I insist you have filled' she said as she wrote something on her prescription pad with a flourish

She handed the small piece of paper to Hope who proceeded to read it out loud for everyone to hear.

'Have a Merry Christmas, Caffreys' she read with a chuckle

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The drive home was quiet; gentle snow fell, covering everything in sight in a soft blanket of white which seemed to muffle every sound around them. The streets were tranquil; the stores finally closed as everyone headed home to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.

The mood in the car was hushed, introspective; everyone sat in silence, seemingly licking their respective wounds. Neal drove despite having limited use of his left hand; ever since the accident, Sara was nervous about getting back behind the wheel and he didn't want to push it – not yet, anyways. Hope sat in the back, right behind Neal, with her foot up on the seat, her toe taped up and her left boot lying on the floor of the car nearby.

Sara looked done in, both from the worry of the previous few hours and the persistent pain that continued to linger through her body. She'd been chastizing herself for not having mentioned that, among the utensils at the bottom of the sink, was the sharp knife she'd used to cut up the chicken sandwich she'd prepared for herself while Neal and Hope had been out running errands. Neal had tried to reassure her; it was just a fluke accident which would soon be forgotten.

Hope had been given some pain medication which seemed to have knocked her out and she grew quiet in the back seat as Liam snoozed, his afternoon nap long past due. They could still salvage the evening, Neal thought. It was just past 7:00; Hope could still open her Christmas Eve present and they could all sit and have hot chocolate by the tree before she went to bed, as they always did. There was still some gift wrapping to do and Neal wondered how he was going to manage _that_ with his hand bandaged up as it was – it was bad enough that he sucked at gift wrapping in the first place, how he would manage with just one hand, he didn't have a clue.

Neal was silent, replaying the events leading up to their latest visit to White Plains Hospital and reflecting on how fate had conspired once again to challenge the young family, making them appreciate each other even more. Despite the rough few days they'd just had, he wouldn't want to change a thing; the rough spots just made the good times even more enjoyable and he turned to glance at Sara, winking at her and watching as she smiled in response.

Meadowbrook Street was quiet and practically empty when they turned the corner - except for Charlie Stevens who was out shovelling the minute amount of snow which had fallen during the afternoon.

'Hi' the man called out as the family stepped out of the car 'Out for a Christmas Eve drive?'

Neal stood with Hope tucked into his arms while Sara pulled a sleeping Liam out of his car seat.

'Something like that!' Neal called over, non commitally

The last thing he wanted was to start a long, convoluted conversation with the overly friendly neighbor. He waved to Charlie as they entered the house, the smell of pine hitting his nostrils and making him smile. Home 'smelled' good whenever he stepped into the little house, something that surprised him and delighted him every time he crossed the threshold.

'Daddy, can I still open my book?' Hope asked, half asleep in his arms

'Of course you can' Neal answered, his voice much more cheerful than he actually felt 'It's Christmas Eve!'

Liam was put to bed for the night and Hope slipped into her jammies, settling in on the couch in the living room, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands and her foot up on Neal's lap just like Dr. Williams ordered. She sat with her back against her mom, sandwiched between her loving parents, a little quieter than usual and gazing up at the tree as the colorful lights reflected in her bright blue eyes.

Neal watched her face, the wonder in her eyes so palpable he could feel it and he became overwhelmed with a sense of peace and well-being at the sight of her. Watching this little person he loved so much drinking in the magic of Christmas was enough to make him forget all about his painful past - he had been given a second chance to experience the magic of the season, through the eyes of his children.

'How do you feel?' Sara asked Hope, her arm snugly wrapped around her daughter

'Okay' Hope answered, her voice quiet

Her mind seemed to wander, thinking ahead to all the wonderful plans they'd had for the coming week – plans that were now at risk of being shelved.

'We won't be able to go sliding this week' she said sadly as she looked at her dad

She and Neal had planned to pull the sleigh out of the garage and go sliding on the small hill at her school on Boxing Day while Sara hit the sales; she'd been looking forward to the activity for weeks.

'I can still pull you around on the sleigh and maybe we could take a couple of slides down the hill - together' Neal answered, wondering himself what everyone was going to be up to doing in the next couple of days

They would just have to play it by ear, he thought. The most important thing was that everyone was safe and that they were together – the rest was all window dressing and would eventually work itself out.

'I think it's time for your present' Sara said as she rose to grab _two_ wrapped gifts from under the tree

Hope looked up at her mom with a question in her eyes.

'I thought you might like to open Liam's book too - since he's asleep' Sara said with a warm smile '...and you could show it to him in the morning'

A smile appeared on Hope's face as she reached out for the presents, anticipation dancing in her eyes. Despite the simplicity of the gift, the ritual held a special place in the little girl's heart – even at her young age, she enjoyed the annual tradition and she looked forward to adding a treasure to the beautiful basket of books that lay nearby.

'To Hope' she read on the tag of the first package as she slowly began unwrapping the gift, relishing the discovery, taking her time.

Sara watched her daughter's face as she discovered the new book. Shopping for the special keepsakes was one of her favorite things and she loved watching Hope's face as she discovered what was hidden underneath the pretty wrapping paper.

Neal studied them both, mother and daughter as they prepared to create a memory that would last a lifetime and he felt a lump in his throat which he quickly swallowed, not wanting to get emotional.

'Wow!' Hope said as if she'd just opened the most precious gift ever. 'The Snow Angel' she read as she ran her hand lovingly over the book cover

Sara smiled as she took in the look of wonder on her daughter's face; she remembered the feeling she'd had when she was Hope's age - unwrapping that special book on Christmas Eve, her sister Emily by her side, just as excited as she was. She pushed the bittersweet memory aside and looked over at Neal who, she could tell by the way he was swallowing hard, was getting sentimental. She reached over and squeezed his hand, unsure what memories he was recalling, most likely not as happy as those she held so dear.

'I love it Mommy' Hope said, opening the cover to read the inscription

She read out loud: 'To our special girl. We love you so much! Mommy and Daddy xxoo'

Her eyes went from her mom to her dad as she continued to smile, stifling a yawn.

'Now open Liam's' Neal said as he handed over the second gift

The second book was called 'The Perfect Christmas Tree' and she laughed out loud as she stared at the picture of the practically branchless tree with chirping birds perched on its few limbs. She squealed at the sight.

'Hey' said Neal 'how about I give you a piggy back to the kitchen and we can get that snack ready for Santa? He's going to be starting his journey pretty soon'

Hope's eyes glowed; whatever doubts she might have expressed to her dad earlier on in the day had all but disappeared and Neal realized he'd better capture the memory of her joyful face in his mind's eye for future reference. After all, this might be the last year that his little girl prepared a snack for Santa.

They giggled as they cut a piece of strawberry pie, placing it on a special Christmas plate and Neal watched as Hope carefully poured a glass of milk for St Nick. He carried her back into the living room and together they placed the snack on a small table by the tree next to the drawing Hope had made of herself and Liam along with a word of thanks.

'Mommy, don't stay up too late or he won't come' Hope explained as Neal prepared to carry her upstairs

'I promise, honey' Sara reassured her as she hugged her daughter good night

And with that, little Hope Caffrey was whisked off to bed with visions of sugarplums dancing in her head.

WCWCWC

By the time Neal made his way back downstairs, Sara had already placed Santa's gifts for the kids under the tree and had turned off all the lights except for the tree lights which glowed, enveloping the room in perfect tranquillity.

'I think she's already asleep' he said as he gratefully took the glass of Grand Marnier from her hand and slipped in next to her on the couch to enjoy the lights and the soft music playing in the background

He took a nice, long sip of his drink and sighed loudly as Sara put an arm around him to pull him close.

'What a week, huh?' she said

'Mmm' he answered, feeling himself relax in her warm, loving arms

'I wonder how Peter and El are doing?' Sara asked

'I talked to Peter this afternoon. His dad was taking them to midnight mass in a horse drawn sleigh' Neal said with a smile

'That's a pretty picture' she answered as she noticed a flicker of some long ago regret in her husband's eyes

She didn't usually pry when it came to his youth; after all, it was a long time ago and it had nothing to do with their lives today but something compelled her to ask anyway.

'Do _you_ have any happy Christmas memories from when you were little?' she asked, her voice soft

He took another long sip of his drink, eyes faraway before sitting up and looking into his wife's eyes.

'You know...' he answered with a shrug 'My mom... she was... well, Christmas was just a reminder of everything she'd lost and Ellen... well, she _tried_ to make it special for me but there was just so much sadness at Christmastime in our house'

Sara ran her hand lovingly through Neal's hair as he sighed deeply. She knew that, in contrast, she'd had many happy Christmases growing up.

'What about you?' Neal asked, shrugging off the momentary sadness

'Up until the time Emily left, we had magical Christmases, the tree, the decorations, the gifts, Mom's baking and Dad was like you about decorating the outside of the house' she added with a small smile

'But then, everything changed when Emily left...' she said, her voice trailing

Neal looked into her eyes, realizing they both had baggage they had somehow managed to shed without too much resentment or bitterness.

'Thank you' he said softly as her eyes narrowed, unsure of what he was talking about

'Thank you for giving me the Christmases I always dreamed of when I was young' he added

Sara stared back into his deep blue eyes, wondering again how such a hurt and lost soul had managed to pull himself out of the dark depths of his past to become the loving, caring husband and father he was today. She loved him all the more for it.

A soft ballad came on, Neal's favorite holiday song, and he sat up, putting out his good hand in invitation

'Would you like to dance?' he asked as he stood, pulling Sara to her feet

They moved slowly together by the glow of the Christmas tree, arms tightly wound around each other, blue eyes locked on green, as Neal sang softly '...through the years, we all will be together...'

Once the music stopped, they kept swaying in each other's arms in the silent room, eyes still riveted on each other. After a moment, Neal broke the silence.

'Merry Christmas Repo' he whispered softly

'Merry Christmas Neal' Sara responded

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

'Daddy!' Neal heard from faraway as he came back to reality

'Daddy! Wake up!' the voice repeated, more insistently

He stirred in bed, becoming aware of Sara, dead to the world in his arms – their usual pose, with him lying on his back and Sara draped over his chest.

'I'll be right there!' he called back, realizing that Hope needed some help to get out of bed

The sound of his voice woke Sara who moaned in his arms, coming to and suddenly realizing it was Christmas morning.

'What time is it?' she groaned

Neal turned to check. 'Six fifteen' he mumbled, equally unimpressed

'Daddy!' Hope called again, her voice growing impatient

By the time he'd untangled himself from Sara's sleepy limbs, Hope was standing in the doorway to their bedroom, hopping along on one foot.

'Hope! Be careful, you could hurt yourself!' Neal called out as he finally stood and made his way over to her, too late to keep her from hopping the last few feet to their bed and jumping on next to her mom

'Mommy, Mommy! Come on! Santa came!' she called out excitedly as Sara reluctantly opened an eye

Despite the early hour, she couldn't help but smile as she saw her daughter's face, glowing with anticipation.

'Alright' she said, sitting up, bleary eyed 'Let's go wake Liam and go check things out'

Neal returned a moment later with a sleepy baby in his arms, handing him off to his mom so she could nurse him.

'Come on, Hope' he said as he lifted her up into his arms 'Let's go see if we had a visitor overnight'

WCWCWC

The Caffrey family sat under the tree on the living room floor, Liam tucked between his dad's outstretched legs and Hope fluttering from one wrapped gift to another. She was thrilled to discover that Santa had brought her the top item on her list – a sing along microphone with a stand; American Idol was one of Hope's favorite shows and she dreamed of someday being up onstage entertaining the world (a dream her parents knew would remain unfulfilled - sadly).

Liam was getting some help with unwrapping his presents from his big sister and he sat there, totally unaware of what was going on, just living in the moment, rolling a small train back and forth as he lay on his stomach, gurgling.

'Open that one!' Neal said to Hope as he pointed to a small box which lay under the tree, unwrapped except for a bright pink bow around it

She looked up at her dad with a frown; she had no idea what it might be.

'It's from me' he said with a sly smile

Hope carefully untied the bow, setting the pretty ribbon aside as she opened the small box, her eyes alight at what she found.

'It's the charm bracelet!' she shrieked, throwing her arms around Neal's neck

'Daddy sure knows how to pick them, huh?' Sara said, amused as she watched her daughter fawning all over her dad

'Well, Hope's not the only one who's getting spoiled' Neal added as he grabbed for another small package hidden at the back of the tree

Again, the box was not gift wrapped but had a pretty red bow around it and Sara smiled as she took it from her husband. He had a knack for picking jewelry and she hoped he'd managed to work his magic once again.

'Neal!' she said as she reacted in much the same way her daughter had, throwing her arms around her smiling husband's neck 'How did you know?'

He just smirked knowingly and shrugged, winking at Hope who stayed mum; he still had the Caffrey charm with the women, it seemed. Liam wasn't about to let his dad get all the attention and he gurgled nearby, letting out a loud shout of joy.

'Is anybody else hungry?' Neal asked, realizing they'd been sitting there for over an hour

'Yes!' Sara and Hope answered in unison

He'd picked up some cinnamon buns at the local bakery and he looked forward to that first cup of coffee now that Hope had unwrapped all of her gifts.

'Come on, buddy' Neal said as he stood and picked up his son in his arms 'Let's get breakfast for the ladies'

WCWCWC

The rest of Christmas Day was blissfully uneventful. Hope was thrilled with the loot she'd gotten and she spent the day getting familiar with every one of the many gifts that had been left for her under the tree. Unfortunately for everyone else, she'd been delighted with her sing-along microphone which amplified her off-key rendition of every pop song one could possibly imagine. Sara had suggested she set up in the studio down in the basement so she could practice to her heart's content but despite her being behind closed doors one floor below them, Sara and Neal sat on the couch in the family room cringing as they listened to her discordant interpretation of One Direction's latest hit.

'She'll get tired soon enough' Neal said with a soft laugh as they settled in with a nice glass of wine

'Not soon enough for me' Sara responded with a similar chuckle

Liam had been put down for a late afternoon nap and Christmas dinner was in the oven; a scaled down version of the traditional turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. Sara settled her head on Neal's shoulder and let out a sigh before sitting up suddenly, her voice animated.

'I almost forgot. I have one last gift for you' she said, standing

'Me too' he answered as he headed for the basement

They returned, each carrying their offerings and giggled nervously as they made it back to the couch.

'You first' Neal said as he held out the canvas he'd been working on for the past several weeks.

It wasn't a surprise, since Sara had asked for it specifically, but she watched in wonder as he revealed a beautiful painting of Liam in his arms as he sat in the rocking chair, cradling him. Sara had taken the picture about two months earlier and she'd asked Neal if he could paint it in watercolor – not his usual medium; she wanted it for her office, a reminder of the two wonderful men in her life.

'Oh, Neal! It's even more beautiful than I could have imagined' she said as she took in the gorgeous canvas, the delicate watercolor making them both look almost luminous

He watched her face light up as it always did whenever she first set eyes on one of his paintings - that look was one of the reasons he enjoyed painting so much.

'Thank you' she said as she tore her gaze away from the painting to look into his eyes 'I love it...and I love you'

Her lips found his, so easily - as always - and the feel of his mouth against hers made her heart sing as he responded in kind.

'You're _very_ welcome' he whispered as his eyes moved to her hands which were holding the gift he'd unwittingly discovered, earlier in the week.

'This is for you' Sara said as she handed it over, looking into his eyes

He took his time unwrapping the gift, summoning up the last dregs of his Caffrey persona so he could appear surprised. She was taking so much pleasure in handing him the present; he didn't want her to be disappointed in his reaction. The beautiful dream journal peeked out from under the colorful gift wrap and he touched it lovingly as his gaze moved to Sara's warm smile.

'I know it's not much' she began, her voice barely a whisper 'but I thought... well, I see you writing your dreams on those scraps of paper and I thought you needed a special place to keep those wonderful memories'

His eyes filled with tears as he realized that this was so much more than just a journal; in her own way, Sara was giving him back a piece of his past by providing him with a special place to lovingly inscribe those precious memories he was working so very hard to recover. It had been such a long road, recuperating from that terrible accident which had almost broken up their family and he shuddered to think of where he might be if Sara hadn't stood by his side, steadfast, persevering even when he'd almost given up. Through her dogged persistence and her unfailing love for him, she'd managed to give him back the precious life he'd worked so hard for in the first place.

'I love it' he said simply, tears spilling out

His lips returned to hers once again and she felt him trembling, his emotions getting the better of him.

Suddenly, Hope hit one of those impossible notes, her voice a faltering crescendo and Neal and Sara both burst out laughing.

WCWCWC

The following days were delightfully ordinary as the family cocooned, watching movies, eating popcorn, playing board games and just enjoying each other's company. On Friday, Neal and Hope went sledding at the school, as promised, with Neal holding on to his daughter as she squealed all the way down the hill while Sara watched with Liam warm and snug in his baby sleigh. They'd come home for hot chocolate and they'd curled up on the couch to watch a DVD from Hope's collection, all four of them snuggled underneath the blanket, happy and content.

On Saturday night, they sat around the kitchen table to play one of the board games Hope had gotten for Christmas, their stomachs full and their hearts happy.

Neal stared down, concentrating hard, as evidenced by his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, as he tried to remove a 'cranky knee' from Cavity Sam with the tweezers.

'Careful Daddy' Hope said in an attempt to break his concentration 'The buzzer's going to sound'

Neal's hand trembled slightly and the buzzer went off as Hope broke out in fits of laughter, Liam sitting on his daddy's knees, joining in as his sister giggled loudly.

The phone rang and Sara stood to answer.

'Alright, smarty pants, let's see if you can do any better' Neal said as he handed the pair of tweezers to Hope with a put-on pout

'Hello' Sara answered absent mindedly as she glanced back at the action at the kitchen table

'Hey Sara, we're back' Elizabeth said

'El, hi! It's great to hear your voice!' answered Sara as she glanced over at Neal who looked up with a big smile on his face 'How did things go?'

'The next time we talk about spending Christmas at Peter's parents place, please don't let me do it!' she said with a laugh 'It is _so_ great to be home'

Sara reflected sadly that there would _never_ be any Christmases with _her_ folks or with Neal's for that matter and she shivered at the realization. She and Neal would need to rely on each other to build future memories for themselves and their kids. She wondered in passing what kind of grandparents her mom and dad would have been; perhaps, they would have been able to recapture some of the joy they'd felt before Emily's untimely disappearance. She shook off the over-sentimental notion before returning to the conversation at hand.

'Well, we missed you...' she said, realizing that Elizabeth and Peter were the closest thing she and Neal had to family

'Same here' Elizabeth said 'Peter told me the kids had been sick. Is everybody okay?'

'Well, it's going to take more than a few minutes to fill you in. Do you want to meet up for coffee sometime tomorrow?' Sara asked as she looked over at her brood, Liam safe in Neal's arms and Hope giggling at something her dad had just said

'Yeah, do you want to come over after lunch?' El asked

'Sure! I'll see you around two' Sara responded as she prepared to hang up

She looked over at her family, everyone smiling and happy and she realized she had everything she could ever want right there in that kitchen.

'Mommy!' Hope said impatiently 'It's your turn!'

WCWCWC

'I really missed you' Elizabeth said as she poured them each a cup of coffee '...all of you'

'Same here' Sara responded with a fond smile

'I don't think we've spent a Christmas apart since... well, since you got pregnant with Hope' El remarked as she thought back to the past several years

'You're right!' Sara said 'It was definitely strange to be on our own this year, what with Mozzie and June away too'

'So, are you going to tell me about that bruise on your face?' El asked as she pointed to Sara's cheek

It had begun to fade but without makeup, it was still apparent, now an unappealing greenish, yellow color.

'Well, it started with Hope getting the flu, just before you guys left and then Neal got it and on the Saturday before Christmas, I was rear ended near the mall - '

'Oh my God' interrupted El as she listened to the tall tale 'Were you hurt?'

Sara lifted the bottom of blouse, revealing the bruising around her hips which matched the one on her face.

'We ended up in the emergency room and then, on Sunday, Liam got the flu and his fever spiked. Neal ended up taking him to the hospital...' she continued as she watched El's horrified face

'Is he okay?' she asked

'He's fine, now. Babies rebound so much faster than we do... but it really scared me, they actually had to put him on an IV, he was so dehydrated'

Elizabeth reached out to touch Sara's hand in commiseration and Sara shook her head.

'Wait... there's more' she continued as El stared in disbelief 'Then, on Christmas Eve, Hope broke her toe and Neal cut his hand doing dishes and we ended up in emergency _again_ '

'That all sounds like a bad dream' El said as she listened raptly

A cold wind swept in as the kitchen door opened and Peter appeared, Satchmo in tow. He took one look at Sara and El, realizing he was interrupting their catch-up time.

'Sara!' he said as he spied her bruised face 'The car accident?'

'You knew and you didn't tell me!' El said, incensed

'Neal said it was a fender bender; I didn't want you to worry' he said to his wife who was giving him the evil eye

'It's good to see you' Sara said as she stood and accepted Peter's hug

'Honey, they've had a _horrible_ Christmas – ' El began as Sara put up her hand in protest

'We haven't, not really...' Sara said, surprising herself at her response 'We had a wonderful Christmas... it's just the run up to Christmas Day that was a little rough, that's all'

'Well, are you ready to get all glammed up for the big party tomorrow night?' Elizabeth asked as she pulled out a couple of tickets and handed them over to Sara

'I got you guys some VIP tickets which include a gourmet meal, dancing, champagne and a suite for the night' she said, obviously pleased with herself

After the week they'd just had, it sounded like a night out on the town was just what the doctor ordered.

'A suite?' Sara repeated as she checked out the tickets in her hand 'I'll have to see if Mozzie can spend the night'

'Oh, and don't tell Neal' she added as an afterthought 'I want it to be a surprise'

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

By New Year's Eve, everyone in the Caffrey house seemed to be back on their A game. Liam and Neal had totally recovered from the nasty flu as had Hope who was walking with a slight limp but no longer needed help getting around. Neal's hand had all but completely healed and Sara looked just as she had before her accident – with a little extra help from MAC cosmetics, that is.

She looked up from the mirror where she'd been applying makeup when Hope came into her parents' bedroom to investigate.

'You look pretty, Mommy' she said as her gaze lingered on the various beauty products laid out on the small makeup table. Her hand went directly to the lipstick and she looked up expectantly at her mom.

Sara stared back at her daughter and gave her a knowing look.

'All right' she conceded as she turned to face Hope 'But, just a touch'

She proceeded to put a small dollop of pale pink lipstick on her daughter's lips as the child looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the grown-up look.

'Honey, I need a favor' Sara whispered 'you see that bag over there?'

Hope looked over to the corner of the bedroom where she could see an overnight bag tucked away.

'I need you to sneak it out to the car without Daddy seeing you' Sara said, her voice quiet 'Do you think you could do that?'

Hope nodded.

'It's a surprise for Daddy' Sara clarified

Hope loved surprises and she gave her mom an excited look.

'Wait until he's busy doing something and just put it in the trunk so he doesn't see it, okay?' Sara asked

Hope nodded a second time, with a sneaky smile on her face.

'Who's babysitting us?' she asked as she moved to the bed and ran her hand longingly over the beautiful gown Sara had laid out there

'Uncle Mozzie' Sara answered, returning to her reflection in the mirror

When she scrutinized herself she could still see the remnants from the small cuts she'd suffered in the accident; she continued to apply some foundation over the problematic spots.

'Yay!' Hope cried out just as Neal walked in from his shower, hair dripping and towel around his waist

'What are we so happy about?' he asked as he began to towel dry his hair

'Uncle Mozzie is coming!' Hope screamed 'That means pizza for dinner!'

Neal rolled his eyes at Sara; all bets were off whenever Mozzie babysat and that usually meant that junk food was on the menu.

'Well, just don't overdo it' Neal said, making his way to the closet 'You haven't been eating all that well over the holidays'

Hope watched as Neal turned his attention to his choice of clothing for the evening. She quickly grabbed the overnight bag while his back was turned and sauntered out of the room as Sara gave her a wink.

By the time Neal turned around to see if she'd heard him, she was long gone.

WCWCWC

'You look amazing!' Neal said, his voice husky, as Sara struggled to fight him off

'Neal!' she responded with a giggle 'Would you please stand still for just one minute so I can finish with your bow tie'

Neal's hands were all over his wife and his lips were trying to get in the vicinity of her neck although Sara was managing to keep him at arms' length – at least for the time being.

She was all decked out in a gold and ivory gown with a sweetheart neckline which molded her curves down to the bottom of her buttocks and fell to the floor in an elegant flow of fabric .

'You look pretty hot yourself' she said, staring back at Neal, who stood before her in a very sexy Hugo Boss tuxedo which he'd hauled out from the back of his closet.

'I can't believe this thing still fits after all these years' she added in admiration

Except for a couple of cases back when he was working with Peter, Neal hadn't worn a tux in over fifteen years; he'd been surprised that Mozzie had kept it for him during his prison stay, returning it to him when he'd first moved into June's place.

'We should definitely dress up more often' he murmured as his lips finally made it to Sara's neck, roaming down to the top of her breasts

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, mister' she said, pulling away 'Don't you mess with any of this. It took me a long time to put this look together'

Neal groaned as he stepped back.

'As long as you promise to let me help you get out of it later' he added lewdly, eyebrows raised expectantly

Liam's cries from across the hall brought him back to reality and he let out a frustrated sigh.

'Later, Repo' he said in warning as he made his way to collect his son from his crib

'Uncle Mozzie's here!' they heard Hope call out from downstairs

WCWCWC

'Elizabeth, you've done an amazing job with this party' Sara said as the women sat and finished up the last of the incredible dessert which had been served

'The nice thing is I get to sit back and enjoy it now' El responded 'The staff is doing a great job'

Whenever Burke Premiere Events got a large contract such as this one, Elizabeth called on a number of freelance servers and kitchen staff to complement her small but efficient team. Once the planning was done, she was free to experience it as a patron, allowing her to better critique her own work.

'Hey ladies' Peter said as he and Neal returned to the table 'Are you two up for a little dancing tonight?'

Elizabeth gazed up at Peter, looking very dapper in his tuxedo and she smiled 'Why Agent Burke, I didn't think you had it in you'

The band could be heard setting up in the background as the guests chatted away in small clusters throughout the ballroom of the large hotel. The atmosphere was stylish and elegant and Neal made his way to stand behind Sara, letting his hand linger on the back of her bare neck. Her hair, which she almost always wore down over her shoulders, had been coiffed in an up do for the occasion and the sight of her bare neck was doing things to him as his hand continued to linger there, his touch gentle yet insistent.

Neal and Sara hadn't attended a soirée of this magnitude since the kids were born – as a matter of fact, Sara couldn't remember _ever_ attending such a gala with Neal and she was enjoying the upscale venue, the wonderful food and more importantly, Neal's undivided attention. She realized that they hadn't resumed their monthly date nights since Liam had arrived, something they would definitely need to rectify in the New Year.

As much as she loved her everyday life as a wife and mom, there was something about having Neal all to herself that got her pulse racing. He was looking like the sexy, suave conman she'd met years ago and she looked forward to spending the next few hours with Neal showering all his attention on her, and only her. She congratulated herself on not telling him about the hotel suite; when the evening was over, she knew he would be thrilled to find out they had the whole night to finally be together without the usual interruptions.

He took the seat next to her, his hand not leaving the back of her neck and she watched as his eyes moved to hers, totally focussed on her every move. Gone was 'daddy' Neal who walked around the kitchen barefoot, getting dinner ready with a fussy Liam in his arms or who sat with Hope on his lap, reading 'Goodnight Moon' – this was sexy, charming Neal who moved like a gazelle and who smiled with self-assurance and that distinct look of mischief in his eyes.

She smiled back, inviting him closer and he leaned in to kiss her behind the ear, lingering just a tad longer than might be deemed appropriate in public.

'I can't wait to get you alone' he whispered before pulling away

Sara could feel goose bumps all over her body at the sound of Neal's raspy voice and she pulled back, not trusting what she might do if she got her hands on him; he was looking good enough to eat.

They were suddenly aware of Peter and Elizabeth, sitting there, patiently waiting for the moment to pass and smiling indulgently at their friends.

'So, I guess this is a well deserved break from the last week or so, huh?' Peter asked knowingly

'Let's just say, we haven't had much alone time in the last little while' Neal answered, his hand continuing to linger on Sara's back

She wished he would stop touching her; she didn't know how long she could hold back – any minute now, she would be climbing onto his lap and doing unspeakable things to him. She took a sip from her glass of wine and looked nervously at El who seemed to be reading her thoughts.

'So, how's Hope's foot?' asked Elizabeth trying to get her friend focused on something other than the Adonis by her side

Sara tried to concentrate. 'Much better' she said as Neal nodded in agreement 'She's barely limping and she'll be fine to go back to school next week'

'Good' said Peter 'because I want to take her bowling next Saturday'

'She's gonna love that' Neal said with a smile as the music started up

Peter looked over at El and put out his hand which she took, standing to join him as the two of them headed for the dance floor. Neal and Sara sat and watched fondly as their friends began to sway to the big band sound.

'You okay?' Neal asked, suddenly concerned about how quiet his wife was

'Better than okay' she said with a sigh as she felt Neal's hand rubbing her back softly 'I just wish...'

Neal looked at her with concern.

'I wish... you'd stop touching me like that...' she finished, biting her lip suggestively

Neal laughed softly and leaned in to kiss her neck.

'Sorry, no can do' he whispered lewdly 'I've waited a long time to have you all to myself'

Sara chuckled quietly and tried to get herself under control.

'I didn't realize just how much I've missed having you touch me like that' she said as Neal pulled away, his face still in her space, gazing at her

'You're right. It's hard to connect like this with the kids around' he responded with a soft smile

'But tonight is all about us, you and me' he added in a murmur

Sara looked around the room at the two hundred or so fellow revellers and laughed out loud.

Neal shrugged. 'I don't see anyone but you'

WCWCWC

The foursome danced the night away. The atmosphere was festive and the music inviting and they laughed, enjoying their time together after having spent Christmas apart.

Peter complained about his nephew's predilection for starting the day with a heaping helping of loud rap music and how his mom still doted on him as if he were twelve years old and El whined about her brother-in-law's annoying habit of picking his teeth at the table after every meal.

'Well, you try dealing with a crying, teething baby and a five year old with the flu' Neal countered in response to their long list of complaints

'...and an airbag exploding in your face!' Sara added as everybody winced

'Okay, okay, you win!' Peter conceded 'You had a much harder time of it than we did'

'It wasn't so bad' Neal said 'By Christmas Day, we were all on the mend and we had a great time, didn't we honey?' he added as he looked at Sara

'I wouldn't have wanted it any other way' she agreed 'But we did miss you guys'

'Ditto' said El 'Oh, did Hope like that board game we got her?'

'Like it?' Neal said in jest 'She wants to play it 24/7. I'm sure she's beating the pants off Moz as we speak'

'And does that little outfit I got for Liam fit him okay?' Elizabeth asked

'You can see for yourself when you come over for dinner tomorrow' Sara said in response

Neal glanced at his watch noting it was just past 11:00. They would have to try to hang on at least until midnight although he was getting antsy and most anxious to get Sara alone, away from the crowd. He put his hand out as the band launched into a ballad.

'Would you like to dance?' he asked his wife as she nodded and stood

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Peter gingerly removed his hand from his wife's waist and tugged at his shirt collar for the third time in as many minutes.

'Too tight?' Elizabeth asked as they continued to sway to the music

'...and scratchy' Peter admitted as El's hands moved to try to rectify the situation

She fiddled with the top button of his shirt, trying to get it undone without upsetting the delicate bowtie and she heard Peter sigh in relief as she finally managed the tricky feat.

'Thanks hon' he said as a relaxed smile returned to his face

Being in a monkey suit was most definitely not one of Peter Burke's favorite things and if he was attending this New Year's Eve celebration, it was certainly in deference to his wife and her job as the event coordinator for the gala. He would have been just as happy watching the ball drop from the comfort of their living room couch, beer in hand – as a matter of fact, he would have preferred it that way.

He looked a few feet over to where Neal and Sara danced, nestled in each other's arms, looking like they belonged in such an opulent setting. Although he'd discovered a new side of Neal over the past five years – watching as he changed dirty diapers and wiped spit up off his suit – Neal still managed to pull off the debonair, sophisticated look and he looked just as comfortable in this setting as he did in his kitchen making peanut butter sandwiches for Hope's lunch. Peter shook his head at the dichotomy that was Neal Caffrey and he watched with interest as Sara giggled at something Neal had just whispered in her ear.

'They look like they're having a good time' Peter said with a head nod

'Yeah, it's nice to see them relaxing after the kind of week they've just had' Elizabeth agreed as she glanced over at the young couple

'What about you, honey? Are you having a good time?' she added as her eyes returned to Peter

'Yeah, of course' he said with as much self-assurance as he could muster

Elizabeth laughed. 'Oh, honey! I love you for trying so hard; I know this isn't exactly your idea of a good time'

'Are you kidding?' Peter said, smiling down at his wife 'Holding a beautiful woman in my arms – how could I _not_ be having a wonderful time?'

El placed a gentle kiss on his lips, a promise of more to come.

'How about we invite Neal and Sara up to our suite for a nightcap?' suggested Elizabeth 'There's a small stash of champagne in the kitchen and I could sneak us up a bottle'

'Sounds great' Peter responded as he glanced at his watch, noting it was just a couple of minutes to midnight

WCWCWC

'I'd forgotten how much fun it is to go dancing with you' Neal said as he held Sara close and gazed into her eyes

She just smiled back, looking amazingly beautiful and Neal began to envision that, as soon as they got home, he would help her take her hair down and he'd finally get to unzip that beautiful gown so he could watch it fall to the floor at her feet. He knew exactly what he'd find underneath but that didn't dampen his enthusiasm – quite the contrary, he couldn't wait to see her standing there with her hair cascading down the side of her face in her strapless bra and matching panties. She was wearing those pull on stockings he loved so much and he imagined himself on his knees, pulling them down slowly as Sara hovered over him, hungry for his touch.

He gave his head a little shake and brought his attention back to his wife's face as she smiled fondly up at him.

'I know; I don't know why we don't just do it more often' she agreed – and for a moment, he wondered what she was talking about

The music began to fade and the master of ceremonies stepped up to the microphone as the guests began to chatter more loudly – the bewitching hour was upon them.

'In ten seconds, everyone' the man said as the crowd began to count down '9-8-7-6'

Neal's eyes didn't leave Sara's face. It had been a rough year for both of them and he looked forward to a fresh start, a brand new year full of exciting possibilities.

'5-4-3-2-1' he continued as whistles rang out and confetti began to rain down on them all

'Happy New Year, sweetheart' Neal said quietly, his face serious

'Happy New Year, Caffrey' she responded fondly as his lips moved in to kiss hers, deeply yet venerably, a touch of melancholy in both their gazes

The moment was interrupted by Peter and Elizabeth who suddenly appeared at their side and the young couple pulled away from each other to hug their friends and wish them all the best for the coming year; Auld Lang Syne could be heard playing in the background as revellers moved around the room, hugging and kissing with wishes of prosperity and happiness.

'I think my work here is done' said Elizabeth 'How about you guys come up to our suite for a nightcap?'

'Your _suite_?' Neal repeated, suddenly intrigued

'Yeah, the hotel gave us a couple of complimentary suites as a thank you for coordinating the party' El responded as she exchanged a furtive glance with Sara

She could tell by Neal's reaction that Sara still hadn't told him about her little surprise and she sure as hell didn't want to be the one to spill the beans.

'Look, I'll sneak out to the kitchen and get us a bottle of champagne and I'll see you up there. Suite 2207' she said as she separated from the group to head off on her mission

Neal and Sara shared knowing looks; there would be time for them to be alone together when they got home but for now, they would have to put their plans on hold so they could spend a little more quality time with their best friends. Sara excused herself to go to the ladies room and Peter and Neal stood in the middle of the chaos waiting for the women to return.

'So' Peter said 'Enjoying yourself?'

'Yeah, it's a great party. The food was terrific and... well, it's really nice to be able to catch up with the two of you' Neal said

Peter put a hand on Neal's shoulder as he spoke 'Same here. We really missed you guys at Christmas'

'Awww, there'll be many others, Peter' Neal answered reassuringly

'When do you go back to work?' Peter asked as the men slowly made their way to the exit on the way to the hotel lobby

'Not until next Monday. Sara and I took the rest of the week off... you know, with school starting up Monday and... well, we're just going to enjoy being healthy and being together' Neal answered

'Yeah' Peter answered 'I'm going back on the 2nd. We've got a big case coming up'

'Oh yeah?' Neal asked, his curiosity piqued

Although he hadn't worked full time at the Bureau since his anklet had come off, he still dabbled when needed and his employer, Finch and Johns, was always good about giving him time off whenever Peter needed his help on a case. Except for the Donaldson case, he hadn't worked with Peter in over a year – mostly because he'd spent a good part of the past year recuperating from his accident – and he looked forward to a new caper to start up the New Year.

The excitement in Neal's eyes didn't escape Peter's gaze and he smiled at his ex-partner.

'I'll keep you posted. Maybe you'll want to make an appearance on this one' said the agent

They were interrupted by Sara who returned, her lipstick freshened up, looking just as well put together as when they'd first arrived, hours earlier. Peter waved the card key in his hand and ushered the Caffreys to the nearby elevator to make their way up to the 22nd floor.

WCWCWC

By the time they arrived upstairs, Elizabeth was already there and there was a hotel employee setting out some leftover finger foods and some strawberries dipped in chocolate.

'Elizabeth Burke!' Neal exclaimed as they stepped into the posh suite 'Well done!'

The suite was opulent, definitely top of the line – the kind of hotel room Neal would have loved to con his way into in his younger days. There was a large sitting area and a smaller eating area and Neal could see an oversized bedroom with a king size bed behind the double doors which had been left ajar. The view of Manhattan was beautiful on this crisp winter night and he glanced out the window, noting that the snow had started up again.

'Have a seat' said Elizabeth, looking like she was right in her element

Peter made his way to the bar and began fiddling with the champagne bottle; he was infinitely better at popping the cap off a beer bottle and Neal followed, prepared to put his buddy out of his misery.

'Here, let me do that' he said in his usual self-assured way

Peter handed over the bottle, obviously relieved and he shrugged off his jacket and pulled off the bow tie as he finally made his way to sit next to his wife on one of the two leather couches. A loud pop was heard, followed by a cheer and Neal brought the bottle over to the sitting area to join the rest of the group.

The women took off their shoes, both sighing as sensation returned to their tired, blistered feet; they'd spent most of the night dancing in four inch heels and taking off the offending shoes was a blessed relief. Neal took off his jacket, loosened his collar and proceeded to fill everyone's glass as he took a spot on the couch next to Sara across from the Burkes.

'Happy New Year!' Elizabeth said as she raised her glass

Everyone echoed her good wishes and took a long, slow drink from their glasses

'This is the good stuff!' Neal exclaimed 'Elizabeth, you've been holding out on us'

'Well, only the best for you guys' she said as she took another sip and slipped her arm into Peter's

Neal sat back, feeling Sara's arm around the back of the couch and slouching slightly so he could curl up into her open arms. He wasn't looking forward to having to drive all the way back to White Plains in the snow but he momentarily set aside the notion as he let himself melt in his wife's welcoming arms.

'This is really nice, guys' Sara said 'Thanks for tonight; we really needed a break from the routine'

'It's nice to get dressed up every once in a while' El added in agreement as Peter rolled his eyes – which Neal picked up on immediately

'Aww, come on Peter, you've got to admit that living this kind of life has its appeal' Neal said, challenging his best friend

'From the lips of the guy who changes poopy diapers on conference room tables' Peter answered, teasing Neal mercilessly

'That's just it. It's nice to take a break from our everyday lives and enjoy the high life every once in a while' Neal argued

Peter gave him a look; they would just have to agree to disagree.

'So, what were the highlights for everybody this past year?' Elizabeth asked of everyone present

She knew that this had been a particularly difficult year for the Caffreys but there was something about looking back, then forward that had a cleansing, almost healing, effect.

Neal and Sara exchanged glances; there was much pain in remembering the past twelve months but there was also great joy as they thought over the past year.

'Well, Liam's birth was definitely the highlight for us' Neal said, soberly

Sara nodded in agreement as she pulled Neal in tighter. They had gone through two brief separations over the past twelve months and the memories were still painfully raw. When Neal had been injured back in February, he'd gone through a period of confusion and uncertainty and he'd ended up moving into his old apartment at June's for a few days while he worked things out. He still blamed his temporary lapse in judgment for Sara's post-partum depression which had lasted a couple of months after Liam's birth – something he feared had been triggered by the fact that he'd pulled away from his family. The nasty ploy by Matthew Keller to break them up had only added to the couple's distrust of each other and if it hadn't been for the last few months of couple's counselling, Neal feared that they would not have been able to overcome the sense of betrayal Sara had felt.

As it was, they had come out of the whole experience stronger than ever and Neal suddenly grew quiet as he thought of how close he'd come to losing Sara and his family. He sat up and put his arm around Sara, pulling her close as Peter and El watched everything play out in his eyes.

'I know it's been a rough year' El said kindly 'But look at the two of you, you're stronger than ever'

Neal nodded, unable to speak and Sara felt the anguish reverberate in every bone in his body, firmly pressed against her.

'Anyway!' she said, trying to break the mood 'We have a new year ahead of us, full of possibilities... and we have each other'

Peter and El nodded, hands firmly clasped. They had hated to see their friends go through the hardships of the past year and they wished them only the best.

'To new beginnings' El said as she raised her glass

'To new beginnings' the trio echoed

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Sara stifled a yawn once again as the foursome looked at each other, bleary-eyed. The bottle of champagne had been emptied almost a half hour before and El had offered to open another one as Neal protested; it was past 1:00 in the morning and they had a long drive home. He stood, reluctantly ending the pleasant get-together.

'I think my wife is about to fall asleep' he said as he stood and pulled Sara to her feet

As the designated driver, he'd held back on the champagne consumption preferring to let Sara have her fill – something that seemed to be catching up with her in the first wee hours of the New Year.

'Yes, thank you so much, you two' Sara said as she hugged Peter then Elizabeth

'Don't forget, dinner at our place, six o'clock tomorrow night' Neal said as he thought ahead to all he still had to do to get ready for the meal he'd planned

He took one last longing look out the window at the wonderful view outside as snow blanketed Manhattan and he turned to open the door for Sara as they said their last goodbyes.

They stepped out into the hallway of the 22nd floor of the hotel and Sara took a right turn as Neal grabbed her arm to guide her towards the elevators which were situated to the left; as always, Sara had no sense of direction and it drove Neal crazy.

She resisted his nudge and continued to pull him in the other direction, to Neal's increasing irritation.

'Hey, Marco Polo, you're going the wrong way' Neal said in jest as he attempted to pull her back

Sara continued to walk in the other direction, a strange gleam in her eye as Neal protested.

'Honey, come on, it's late' he said, an edge of impatience to his voice

He'd been looking forward to some special 'one on one' time with his wife but now he was wondering if either of them would still be in the mood by the time they finally made it home to Mozzie and the kids.

Suddenly, Sara stopped dead in her tracks as she reached into her clutch to grab something. Neal watched curiously, now totally perplexed by her behavior; he didn't think she'd had _that_ much to drink. She lifted a card key out of her purse and waved it in front of his eyes as he began to clue in to what was happening.

'Are you kidding me?' he asked, a smile appearing on his previously frustrated face

'Huh, huh' she said with a naughty smile

The door to the suite clicked open and Sara stepped in, followed by Neal who now had an all out ear to ear grin on his tired face.

'This is for us?' he asked, still unsure he was getting the full gist of it

'Yup' she answered offhandedly as she pulled him in behind her

She closed the door and, pushing him up against it, she resolutely brought her lips to his surprised but grateful mouth. Neal was still dealing with the shock of what had just happened and he pushed her away gently, to get a good look at her eyes in the dimly lit room, which from what he could see was identical to the one they'd just left.

'We've got a suite?' he asked again

'Neal, stop asking questions' she said lazily as she returned her lips to his, more insistently this time

'But how?' he managed to ask through the kiss, her mouth still firmly on his

Sara laughed out loud, pleased with herself as her deception finally came to light. Neal loved surprising _her_ at the drop of a hat but he didn't do so well when he was on the receiving end of subterfuge; he definitely had control issues and she loved having the chance to pull the wool over his unsuspecting eyes.

She moved deeper into the suite, turning on a couple of lamps as Neal began to check out his surroundings. There was another bottle of champagne in an ice bucket by the couch and a plate of chocolate dipped strawberries nearby, identical to the one they'd just seen in the Burkes' room. Sara stopped in the middle of the room and gave Neal a come hither look, crooking her finger in invitation for him to come over and join her as she slipped off her shoes and threw them nearby. Neal reacted immediately, deciding that he could ask questions later – much later – and he moved in on his prey as she playfully avoided his grasp, forcing him to follow her over to the window where she now stood, looking provocatively at her husband.

He was by her side in an instant, wrapping his arms around her waist as he looked out at the view – the same, gorgeous view as the one down the hall.

'You are such a tease' he said playfully as his hands reached out to connect with the zipper at the back of her gown, the same one he'd lovingly pulled up for her hours before

He made quick work of the zipper, watching with a hitch in his breath as the dress fell to the floor, leaving Sara just as he'd imagined her, beautiful and perfectly...perfect. She shivered as she felt the cool air on her bare skin.

'What? No foreplay?' she asked mischievously

Neal's mouth moved to her neck then to the top of her breasts as he answered.

'Oh, you've had _plenty_ of foreplay' he answered impishly, now totally focussed on getting them over to the bed in the next room

Sara looked up at her husband noticing his eyes getting darker and realizing he'd gone from frustrated to confused to totally turned on in the course of 60 short seconds. He began to coax her in the direction of the bedroom, kissing her neck as he went and mumbling something she couldn't quite make out but which definitely shouldn't be repeated. He began to stroke her hair, pulling out some of the hairpins holding her up do in place as he tried to bury his hands in her strawberry locks. Within seconds, he had her positioned on the giant bed, already breathless as he expertly removed the rest of her scant under things, stopping every few seconds to hastily remove an article of clothing from his own, very turned on, body.

He looked down at her, a predatory look on his face, as he prepared to launch his attack.

'Happy New Year' he said lewdly as he went to town

WCWCWC

The Caffreys sat up in bed in the luxurious suite, sipping champagne and giggling like a couple of lovesick teenagers. It was almost three in the morning and Neal knew he'd be paying for his excesses in the morning but at the moment, he didn't want to give a second thought to anything but the beautiful woman lying in his arms. He reached over languidly to grab a strawberry which he lovingly placed between Sara's lips as she hummed in appreciation.

'Mmmmm' she said as she tasted the sweetness of the chocolate

She reached over and did the same for Neal who willingly opened his mouth and sighed in appreciation.

'This is even better than our honeymoon' she said as she looked around the large suite, taking in the sumptuousness of the space

'Hey, hey, don't you talk like that about our honeymoon' Neal answered in mock hurt as they both giggled

Silence unexpectedly invaded the room and their eyes met in the sudden stillness, a multitude of emotions apparent in their gaze – regret, hurt, anguish, forgiveness, love.

'I'm sorry' Neal whispered instinctively '...about everything'

Sara brought a finger to his lips, silencing him.

'Neal, there's nothing to be sorry about. We've both hurt each other and I want to forgive and forget everything that happened last year and keep looking ahead' Sara answered, her voice faltering

Neal nodded in agreement; she was right, of course. Nothing could be gained from rehashing the past; it was all about the wonderful future that lay ahead and that, thankfully, they would be sharing with each other. He suddenly became overwhelmed at the thought that he could have thrown it all away if it hadn't been for Sara's patience, love and support. He never wanted to drift away again; this life he held so dear was fragile and if he'd learned anything over the past year, it was to never take things for granted.

'I love you _so_ much' he said, his gaze intense

'I love _you_ ' she added, touching his face gently

And with that, blessed silence returned as they held each other tight, knowing with certainty that they would always be there for one another, no matter what lay ahead.

WCWCWC

The rude knock on the door came at about 8:30 and Sara lifted her head, unsure as to whether she'd dreamed it or not. Neal was lying comatose next to her; it had been a late night and he was making up for the lack of sleep from the previous week. The knock was heard once again.

'Room service' the muffled voice called out as Sara rose, throwing on the hotel's silk robe and making her way to the door

She opened the door a crack, seeing a young man standing there in a hotel uniform.

'We didn't order...' she began as the young man looked down at a piece of paper in his hands

'Compliments of the Burkes' he read as Sara opened the door all the way to let him roll in the table which was overflowing with food

She reached for her purse, handing him a tip just as Neal appeared, his eyes unfocussed.

'Thanks' she said as the young man let himself out

'More surprises?' Neal said as he walked over to the table, peeking under the sterling silver dome

'Yeah, from Peter and Elizabeth this time' she said as she grabbed for a slice of bacon; all of a sudden, she was starved

Neal smiled in response; this was just like Peter and Elizabeth.

'What do you say we invite them over to share some of this food?' he asked as he reached for the phone by the couch

Within minutes, El and Peter arrived, fully dressed and looking very fit and relaxed, in direct contrast to Neal and Sara who looked like they'd had a very gruelling (or was that enjoyable) night.

'Ooooh' Elizabeth moaned '...this French toast is amazing'

'Mmmm' Sara agreed as she took another mouthful of sumptuous scrambled eggs with smoked salmon

The men watched as the women swooned over the food; they knew that their wives would both be back on regimented diets within days.

'So, were you surprised to find out you didn't have to drive home last night?' El asked as she turned to look at Neal

He laughed as he recalled the events of the night before.

'At first, I just thought Sara couldn't remember the way to the elevator' he said '... which is not surprising considering her lousy sense of direction'

'Hey you!' Sara called back in mock anger, throwing a piece of toast his way 'Is that what I get for giving you a night of unbridled passion in an upscale hotel suite?'

'How did you even get that overnight bag past me, anyway?' Neal asked as he looked over to the familiar case which sat by the bed

'I had an accomplice' she said proudly

'Mozzie?' Neal asked as Sara shook her head

'Shorter' she responded

'Shorter than Mozzie?' Peter asked as everyone broke out in laughter

'Hope... you got an innocent little girl to pull a fast one on her dad' Neal said, seemingly insulted

'Hey, you've got to get your allies where you can' Sara said as she poked her husband playfully in the ribs

They laughed heartily as Peter and Elizabeth watched with interest. They were relieved to see their best friends looking happy and relaxed now that the rough times were behind them. They exchanged knowing looks and small smiles as they read each other's thoughts.

'This is great guys... and don't get me wrong - thank you for everything' Neal said as he stood and, in a surprise move, lifted Sara up in his arms, bridal style 'but I'm sure you'll understand if my gorgeous wife and I want to spend the last hour in this beautiful room getting acquainted with the Jacuzzi'

Peter and El stood, the less than subtle message crystal clear.

'Enjoy you two and we'll see you at your place later' Peter said as he pulled El to her feet

He realized that they hadn't checked out the Jacuzzi in their room either and check-out wasn't 'till 11:00...

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The drive home was short and uneventful; the roads practically deserted at noon on New Year's Day. Neal and Sara sat in the car holding hands as they drove in silence, heading home after a most invigorating and enjoyable night out on the town.

'That was so much fun!' Sara declared for the second time as Neal glanced fondly at her

He still didn't quite know what he'd done in his wretched life to deserve the likes of Sara Ellis, the woman who had taken a chance on an ex con, who'd actually married him and given him two amazing children; he never wanted to find out what his life would be like without her.

'We definitely have to get back to our regular date nights now that Liam's a little bit older' he said, feeling her warm, soft hand in his

She nodded; it had taken almost six months for her to start feeling like her old self again and she hoped she'd never again have to go through anything as painful as post-partum depression. Her difficult climb out of that deep dark hole had caused a strain on their marriage and Neal had been patient and loving, helping her through the daily struggles as she battled her demons. Fortunately, she'd finally made it out of the long, dark tunnel and Neal's love and understanding had been the main reason she'd managed to come out the other end relatively unscathed.

'So, you _do_ realize we have people coming over for dinner in six hours, right?' she asked, thinking of the seemingly insurmountable task ahead of them

'Piece of cake' Neal uttered, countering Sara's typically 'glass half empty' comment

'You'll see... it'll be fine' he added and she couldn't help but smile at his eternal optimism

The soothing silence of the car would soon be replaced by the busy sounds of their hectic, boisterous household and that was fine with both of them; as a matter of fact, they looked forward to the chaos as Hope inevitably bustled through the house unleashing her boundless energy and Liam giggled loudly, anxious to join in. Their children were at the centre of their universe and a few hours away from them – although a welcome break in the routine – was more than enough respite from the life they both loved.

The neighborhood welcomed them home and Neal noticed the Masons' car in their driveway as they drove past; Hope would be thrilled to hear that her best friend had returned to the street. He parked the car next to Mozzie's old beat up van – why Moz drove that thing, he'd never understand – and the couple slowly made their way to the front door, holding hands and enjoying the last few seconds of peace and quiet.

'Daddy! Mommy!' they heard the second the door opened

Hope appeared from the back of the house followed by Mozzie who was carrying his godson in his arms and looking a little worse for wear.

'So' Mozzie said as he came into view 'I see you've returned to the scene of the crime'

'Hey Mozzie!' Sara said as she kissed him in greeting, stopping to place another kiss on her son's head 'How were they? Did they give you a hard time?'

Mozzie scoffed at the notion. The kids _never_ gave him a hard time - mainly because he let them do (and eat) whatever they wanted.

'Daddy, I saw the big ball fall and the man was counting backwards!' Hope said excitedly as Neal lifted her into his arms to give her a hug

He gave Mozzie a dirty look - so much for getting the kids to bed at a reasonable hour.

'And we had poutine for a midnight snack' she added as Mozzie averted Neal's eyes

'Poutine?' Neal said, his voice even 'Greasy fries... with cheese curds and gravy... at midnight'

'Yes!' Hope said, higher than a kite on what snack food, Neal could only imagine

'Well, I'm glad you had a good time' Sara said as she took Liam from his uncle's outstretched arms and headed for the family room to nurse him

'Neal, I think I'll head out and have a shower before tonight' Mozzie said, grabbing his coat and making a hasty exit; he knew Neal was none too pleased with his 'laissez faire' attitude with the kids

'Thanks Moz' Neal said sincerely as the little man scurried past him

'Daddy! Can we play Operation again?' Hope screamed, more than spoke, directly into Neal's ear and he winced at the unexpected sheer volume of her voice

'Whoa, whoa, sweet pea. Let's take a deep breath, okay? We've got company coming and Mommy and I have a lot of work to do before everyone gets here' he said as he watched her smile dissolve into a frown

'Hey' Neal continued, hoping to return his daughter to her previous good mood 'Did you know Olivia is back? Why don't you invite her over to play for awhile?'

Hope squirmed out of Neal's grasp as she shrieked with joy at the news.

'Olivia's back, Mommy' she screamed as she ran to the back of the house

Neal took a long, slow cleansing breath.

Okay...they were home.

WCWCWC

By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, the crowd expected for New Year's dinner had grown from seven to twelve guests. Jeff and Donna Mason were on their own for the day and, in a sudden outpouring of goodwill, Neal had called out to Charlie Stevens who he'd seen shovelling outside and had invited both Charlie and his wife, Myrtle, to join them for dinner.

As the number of guests grew, Sara continued to add more place settings at the dining room table - which normally sat eight people. Twelve was a bit of a stretch but they'd make it work; after all, it was all in the spirit of the holidays. The house smelled amazing as Neal began to work his magic in the kitchen, working efficiently and quickly now that his hand had almost fully healed.

Sara kept an eye on the kids and saw to the logistics, making sure the table was set and the house presentable for the houseful of guests who would be arriving shortly. Peter and Elizabeth were set to take a detour into Manhattan to pick up June who'd returned the day before from her trip out to California and Mozzie would be making an appearance in his own good time – the excellent Merlot Neal had purchased for the occasion was a guarantee of that.

Olivia and Hope had been thrilled to reunite after more than a week apart and they had settled in with their Barbies and the usual paraphernalia in the family room while Liam snoozed up in his room.

'Can I help with any of that?' Sara asked as she swept into the kitchen and spied her husband hard at work; pots and pans on all four burners

'I'm good' he said calmly as he stopped long enough to give her a quick kiss 'How's the table looking?'

'It'll be tight be we'll make it work' Sara responded, glancing into the family room 'Anyway, I doubt the girls will sit for longer than fifteen minutes...'

Neal smirked; it was true. Olivia and Hope would likely gobble down half their plates and be ready to return to playing together with all their great Christmas loot. Suddenly, Hope appeared next to Neal's side.

'Daddy, Olivia and I want to put on a concert after dinner' she said, her eyes excited

Neal cringed at the thought but gave her his best Caffrey smile.

'That's a _great_ idea, honey. Why don't you guys go practice in the basement' he said, hoping to keep the distracting noise to a minimum

'Let's go Liv' Hope called out excitedly as she prepared her latest assault on her parents' delicate ears.

WCWCWC

By six thirty, the house was full of happy revelers. Neal invited everyone to take their seat at the table which was overflowing with platters of food he'd been lovingly preparing over the past few days. Sitting down to a meal prepared by Neal Caffrey was always a treat; he was bold and adventurous in his choices and everything he prepared turned out amazingly delicious.

'Neal, you've really outdone yourself!' June said as she tucked into an avocado salad

She sat to Neal's left and looked up momentarily as he reached out to squeeze her hand, a wide grin on his face. Whenever they had a family meal in the Caffrey dining room, she would always sit in the same spot, a tradition Neal hoped would continue for many years to come.

'I'm really glad to have you home' Neal said affectionately as the loud murmur continued around them

'I love visiting Lorna but... well, I missed you and the children' she said as she turned to glance at her godson whose high chair was tucked in between her and Neal at the head of the table

She reached over and fed the baby a spoonful from the bowl of mush sitting on the table and Liam gurgled at the sight of his grandma, smiling down at him.

The room buzzed with conversations as everyone shared the excellent company and the amazing meal. Neal looked down towards the other end of the table where he could see Sara engaged in a rather animated conversation with Myrtle Stevens while Mozzie sat on the other side of his wife in an intense discussion with Peter who was rolling his eyes in response to something the little man said. Olivia and Hope were giggling madly as Charlie Stevens told them some joke and Elizabeth was deep in conversation with Donna and Jeff Mason about the downside of being away from home for the holidays.

It was a motley crew to be sure but it seemed fitting that they would all come together on this day around the Caffrey table to celebrate the beginning of a new year with all its hopes and possibilities.

WCWCWC

'Olivia said I don't sing very well' Hope said, her voice sad, as Neal prepared to tuck her in

'Oh yeah?' he responded non commitally, sitting up on the edge of her bed

He could hear the mumbled voices downstairs as their guests continued to mingle and celebrate the arrival of the New Year.

'Yeah' she admitted, pouting '...and it made me sad'

'Well, what do _you_ think?' Neal asked, hoping to evoke a little introspection on his daughter's part

She shrugged. 'I don't know... but I _like_ to sing' she said

'Then, you should keep doing it no matter what anybody else says' Neal said wisely 'But, you know, sweet pea, we can't be good at everything – even if it's something we really like to do'

He watched as she listened carefully. She couldn't imagine a single thing her daddy couldn't do better than anybody else; he was everything to her and in her child's eyes, he could do no wrong.

'When I was little, I used to _love_ running but I didn't do it very well. I never won any of the competitions at school – even though I used to practice all the time' Neal admitted

'But you go jogging all the time' Hope said

'Yeah, I do - because I like it. Now, I do it for myself and I don't really care what anybody thinks or whether I'll ever win any races'

Hope looked up at her dad, wide-eyed. She thought he was perfect in every way and his admission was forcing her to see things in a different light.

'So, don't give up on singing, just have fun with it okay?' Neal concluded as he pulled the blankets up to her neck and tugged lovingly at her nose

She nodded, her sadness vanished. 'Love you Daddy' she called out as he rose to turn out the lights

'I love you too, sweetie' he responded with a wink

WCWCWC

'Wow! That sure was an amazing meal, Neal' Elizabeth said with a sigh as she kicked off her shoes and settled in next to her husband

It was close to midnight and the guests had all left except for the Burkes. The foursome was enjoying some peace and quiet as they sat in the living room by the Christmas tree sipping on brandies and enjoying the silence which had finally returned to the house.

'Thanks!' Neal responded, self-deprecatingly as Sara gave him a knowing look

She hadn't a clue how he did it but Neal could whip up a gourmet meal with a minimum of ingredients; she'd once seen him throw together a fantastic brunch for four with just a few eggs, some herbs and some day old pumpernickel bread.

'I can't believe we're starting a new year' Peter said as he put out his arm for Elizabeth to curl up in

Neal did the same, inviting Sara to settle in beside him 'Well, personally, I'm glad to leave last year behind' he said 'I'm looking forward to a quieter year'

Peter laughed. Excitement and intrigue followed Neal Caffrey everywhere he went and he couldn't imagine a time when there wouldn't be _some_ turmoil around the ex-con.

'What?' Neal asked with a frown on his face

'You... that's what. Are you telling me you don't enjoy a little excitement in your life?' Peter asked

'Excitement, yes, but...' Neal began as he squeezed his wife a little tighter 'Last year wasn't just excitement...'

Peter looked thoughtfully at his best friend. He was right; it had been rough going for the couple and by extension, for their little family. Less angst and more honest to goodness adventure would likely be more welcome.

'Well, you know you're welcome back to the Bureau anytime' Peter said wistfully

He missed having Neal by his side on a daily basis and although he'd made peace with Neal's choices, he still found himself looking longingly over at the ex CI's old desk every morning when he stepped into the White Collar offices.

'Yeah, well, I'm sure we'll get a chance to work together on _something_ this year' Neal answered mysteriously

Sara looked over at him, seeing the excitement dancing in his eyes; despite her misgivings every time her husband got involved in a new case, she knew it was in his blood, a part of who he was – and frankly, it added to the mystique of Neal Caffrey and remained one of the reason she loved him so much.

'Well, I think we should toast to the New Year' El said, sitting up and holding up her glass

'To excitement - minus the turmoil!' she said with a laugh

Every one lifted their glass, echoing her toast. Above all, the four friends hoped they would find themselves together again in twelve months time, looking back on a most excellent year.

La fin


End file.
